I don’t understand the power of Valentine’s Day. Growing up, I never really celebrated Valentine’s Day because Feb. 14 is my mom’s birthday. So every year rather than stressing over whether or not I was going to have a Valentine for a day, I focused on my mom. We would go to dinner, see a movie or just hang out at home, but regardless, every year we were together.

This year, however, I can’t make it home to see her, and this probably won’t be the last time that this happens. So I’m stuck in my early 20s in the middle of February trying to put together Valentine’s Day in my head.

I’ve always understood that the purpose of the holiday is to show someone just how much you love and care for them. This is generally the definition you hear from people who are still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

But for years there has been this “Hallmark holiday” argument saying that Valentine’s Day was created by card companies to make money, and this is generally the response given by bitter single people.

And even still, some people simply feel that it’s an outdated obligation when you’re in a relationship to do something, anything on Valentine’s Day.

I see people on TV and in real life get into arguments over their definitions all the time, and that’s where I get confused.

Why does it matter? Why does it matter how differently everyone feels about Valentine’s Day? It’s just another day. And quite frankly, to all of the bitter single people, you know that as soon as you find someone that you care about, this “Hallmark holiday” will gain some meaning and purpose.

I consider myself lucky because I have a strong definition of what Valentine’s Day means to me. For me, Valentine’s Day is meant to be shared with the one person that you love the most at this point in life. Lucky for me, that person has been my mom for my entire life.