Steph Fuller and her boyfriend have their Valentine’s Day planned. The pair has already exchanged gifts, and they’re going to talk for hours. The bad news: her boyfriend is 67 miles away, at Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The gifts were sent through the mail and the only intimate handholding they will be able to do on February 14 will be through a handheld device.
It’s a fact that Fuller, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, is not very happy about.
“He plays baseball up there in Fond du Lac, so, unfortunately, we will not be spending the day together at all,” Fuller said. “I was pretty upset about that when I first found out.”
However, she and her boyfriend have plans on how to make the best of the long distance predicament.
“He told me he would FaceTime on the day as soon as he could,” Fuller said. “We still plan to celebrate the best we can.”
Also facing the long-distance dilemma of Valentine’s Day is Charlie Roberts, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration. Similar to Fuller, his significant other also attends a different college farther away.
While the couple will be apart for the second time this February 14, their distance doesn’t deem the day a lost cause. The pair certainly doesn’t think the situation is ideal, but they both try their best to be festive.
Roberts and his girlfriend plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day exactly like they did last year when they were apart — a plan that involves some careful gift-giving and time just for each other.
“What we do is send each other small gifts and make sure to talk on the phone for as long as we can so that we are able to make the best of the occasion even though we are long-distance,” Roberts said. Both he and his girlfriend see quality time as a gift, with each not needing to spend money but put in the effort on the holiday of love.
For singles on Valentine’s Day, spending lots isn’t required to “feel the love” either. Instead, self-care and spending time with non-romantic loved ones can make the day memorable in its own way.
Agreeing with this is Eddie Whitehead, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, who doesn’t choose to ignore Valentine’s Day despite being single. Instead, he makes plans to have fun with friends and make the day about celebrating those closest to him.
“I would say that for me, being single on Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to hang out with my close friends and just have a good time in general,” Whitehead said. “Usually, we end up watching a movie or something entertaining and relaxing like that. Sort of like a ‘Palentine’s Day’ I guess.”
A possibility for the day, Whitehead said, is going to see the new movie “Fifty Shades Freed.”
Beginning with their first premiere, The “Fifty Shades” franchise has been known to release each film in the series on Valentine’s Day, and fans have come to expect it. The book-turned-movie series is known for its steamy love scenes and has a devoted following. Whitehead said he wonders what seeing the film on release day would be like.
“I think that it would be fun to go see the new ‘Fifty Shades’ movie with a bunch of my friends that are single too,” Whitehead said. “I have seen the previous two ones that have come out already, but have never actually watched it on Valentine’s Day when it first premieres in theaters, so I feel like that would be a fun thing to go do.”
Both singles and those in long-distance relationships will find themselves turning to screens this Valentine’s Day to share and feel some love. Doing so to spend some quality time with the people they care about, or simply to treat themselves to a fun day, each group proves that taking the February holiday into their own hands is all it takes to make it one to remember.
