In exactly one week it will be upon us. The count downs will finish and red will be everywhere.

No, I’m not talking about a zombie apocalypse. I’m talking about the worst holiday ever: Valentine’s Day.

I know; you’re only supposed to hate Valentine’s Day if you’re single, right?

And as a girl, I should love being showered with chocolate and presents on this special occasion, right?

Well, don’t get me wrong – I love chocolate just as much as the next lovesick girlfriend, but I hate Valentine’s Day because of what this day stands for.

Valentine’s Day is originally Saint Valentine’s Day.

It is the second most celebrated holiday, following New Year’s Day.

This beloved holiday began as a liturgical celebration for Saint Valentine who was said to be imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers forbidden to marry.

The first time the day was associated with romantic love was in Geoffrey Chaucer’s time in the High Middle Ages. Until this time, the day was simply a liturgical holiday.

Around Chaucer’s time, other authors wrote poems similar to his about Valentine’s Day – all authors referred to Valentine’s Day as a time of love.

The cheesy lines and cards for this day started in 1797 when a British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, containing sentimental and cheesy verses “for the young lover unable to compose his own.”

In the next century, Valentines could be mailed, which made it possible to send cards anonymously. This new fad was the first sign of “scandal” in the very Victorian era.

Valentine’s Day – complete with paper and lace valentines – hit the United States shortly after 1847.

It wasn’t until the late 20th century that other gifts began to be exchanged on this holiday.

In 1980, the diamond industry began using Valentine’s Day as an excuse to buy jewelry for your lover.

In today’s century, the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year, with half of these valentines going to family members other than spouses (usually children).

If including the paper valentines decorated with famous TV characters and teen heartthrobs that are given in school, this “190 million” number jumps to one billion.

Because anything involving paper is slowly disappearing from this world, valentines are coming in new forms.

An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.

Valentine’s Day has become a “Hallmark holiday.” This statement couldn’t be more true.

According to the law of this holiday, one is supposed to use this one day to spoil your significant other and tell them how much you love them.

The other 364 days of the year don’t count – Valentine’s Day is the most important!

It also should be noted that because of this overly commercialized-lovesick-majorly celebrated holiday, Feb. 13 is one of the days most suicides take place.

This means that this day, February 14, has gone from a liturgical holiday to a romantic holiday to a completely overdone commercialized holiday.

Boyfriends and girlfriends are left to spend money on jewelry and other gifts just to reinforce something that can be done on any given day.

In my opinion, this holiday is a waste.

What are we celebrating? Love? Isn’t that what an anniversary is for? Isn’t that what every day in a relationship should be?

Overall, this holiday is great in theory. Take a specific day to tell someone special how you feel is romantic and nice.

However, in execution, it sucks. It has become completely over commercialized and you end up spending too much money on one night that will slowly be forgotten.