Lesson #13: Maybe Valentine's Day Isn't So Bad?

Valentine's Day is one holiday that people love to hate. I've heard countless people say that it's an over-commercialized, Hallmark holiday that instead of focusing on love and relationships puts an emphasis on money and material objects. Shoot, I've even said some of those things. It seems like as soon as we hit February 1st we're bombarded by advertisements for romantic dates and heart-shaped diamond necklaces. Even worse, we see commercials attempting to console all of the "poor single people" by capitalizing on the feelings of loneliness Valentine's Day perpetuates (have you seen Dairy Queen's new Singles Blizzard?). But, if I'm being completely honest, maybe Valentine's Day isn't so bad. I mean, if you look past all of the commercialized pressure to get a date, it's really just a holiday that celebrates love, and couldn't we all use a little bit more love in our lives?

There have been a few Friends episodes that center around Valentine's Day, and although there are usually a few mishaps (bad dates, mistaken hookups, house fires), the core message is still there: you don't need romantic love to celebrate Valentine's Day. You just need some good friends by your side.

Take, for instance, the Valentine's Day that Joey spent alone, depressed, and wishing he could be with Rachel (whom he was in love with at the time). He was completely distraught over the fact that he couldn't be with the woman he loved on Valentine's Day and the likelihood that he would never get to be with her. 

Phoebe, in an attempt to help him get over Rachel, brings Joey "the happiest dog in the world" to cheer him up. Joey nicknames the dog Mozzarella and begins playing with him, but eventually ends up pouring out his feelings to the dog. 

Joey eventually tells Ross about his feelings for Rachel. Ross, although he is initially upset due to his past relationship with Rachel, tells Joey to go for it. He tells Joey that even if he feels weird about it, he cares more about their friendship and wants Joey to be happy.

Another example of non-traditional Valentine's love is the year that Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe decided to have a "boyfriend bonfire" in Monica's living room. As Monica and Rachel compare boyfriend horror stories and lament over the fact that they're "magnets" for jerks, Phoebe tells them about a cleansing ritual to break the bad boyfriend cycle. The three of them decide to burn mementos from past relationships on Valentine's Day the next night.

However, thinks go south when Rachel pours in the last of Paolo's grappa, which is highly flammable. The trio ends up having to call the fire department, who sends out three young, attractive firemen to help them. These firemen tell them that this isn't the first boyfriend bonfire they've seen go wrong and that Valentine's Day is actually their busiest day of the year.

This may not have been the end to the night that the girls were hoping for, but I think that it certainly proves that Valentine's Day doesn't completely suck. 

Images courtesy of (in order of appearance):

• Odyssey
• F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Screen Caps
• Head Over Feels
• Giphy via Netflix
• Playbuzz