"Hill" You Be Mine: Our Community's Thoughts on Valentine's Day!

I gathered a variety of Hillers, ranging from all grades, and compiled six fun questions to explore what our community's opinions on Valentine’s Day are. Their answers displayed how diverse we are, as none were unanimously agreed upon, and I invite you to answer these questions along with them as well!

Before getting into the article, you can also check out our Valentine's Day reel where we interviewed others on these questions and more!

First Question: Do you like Valentine’s Day?

Many were very enthusiastic about Valentine’s Day, whether they loved the atmosphere or candy it brings:

• Amal Bhattacharya ‘25: “I think I do. The reason why is I just like the vibes associated with it, you know? It feels like a very giving type of time, and everything feels a little bit sweeter.”

• Sadie Carter ‘28: “I do because I think it’s about so much more than romantic love, it’s about all the kinds of love in the world, and it’s so fun to celebrate love.”

• Macy Shi ‘26 & Lisa Lu ‘26: “I love it. I really like all the candy, and I think it’s cute.”

• Jackson Jowers ‘28: “Yeah, I like Valentine’s Day because of candy.”

Others didn’t share this opinion as they felt Valentine’s Day didn’t affect them or is  forced onto people:

• Dalton Owen ‘27 & Connor Buchan ‘26: “Yes, I feel like it depends on the year, though.”

• Mrs. Douglass: “Not really. It feels forced, and I think you can love people all year.”

• Adam Cai ‘25: “I’m not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. I think it’s too much pressure for me to find someone each year.”

Do you like Valentine's Day?

• Yes!
• No

Second Question: What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift to receive?

Some favored the classic Valentine’s Day gifts– flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals:

• Amal: “This might be a little bit of an unpopular take, but I would like flowers. Other than that, I think a very good romcom book for Valentine’s Day. I think that’s a very good gift. Or a letter.”

• Dalton: “A plushie– it’s more of a special thing because it lasts longer, and it’s like a little piece of them. I feel like food, it’s like it lasts maybe a week, then you eat all of it, and it’s gone.”

• Connor: “Box of chocolates because the teddy bear is sitting there and collecting dust. Food, it’s kind of iconic.”

• Sadie: “I definitely have to say favorite candy, you know, obviously a sweet treat. It shows that you know their favorite thing, and it’s caring and lovely.”

Others saw the sentimentality behind the gift as the most important:

• Cadence Davis ‘28: “I feel like the best one is one that’s handcrafted, you know what I mean? ‘Cause they mean the most, but then I really like the huge chocolate bears.”

• Adam: “I would say a letter– it’s very personal. The thing with letters is, every time you receive a letter, you keep it, and if you’re feeling down, you open the letter, and you’re like, oh, this guy put all this time and effort into writing this letter, you know?”

Finally, some believed the size of the gift is what mattered, whether large or small:

• Macy & Lisa: “Something grand, like a whole display in the trunk or like roses made out of money.”

• Mrs. Douglass: “Peace and quiet.”

What is the best Valentine's Day gift?

• Something handmande
• Quality time
• Food
• Flowers or stuffed animals

Third Question: What’s the perfect Valentine’s Day date?

Whether it’s due to the frosty weather or the vibes, some felt staying inside was the best way to spend Valentine’s Day:

• Amal: “Anything where you just spend time together alone, nothing that’s too active, just something where you get to hang out together. I would love to watch a movie on Valentine’s Day, so something like that where it’s a lot cozier.”

• Sadie: “In this cold month of February, maybe like baking or cooking. Like you could make pizzas or brownies or something, just like inside where it’s warm, and then after you get to have a little feast.”

Conversely, others enjoyed going out to celebrate:

• Macy & Lisa: “Seafood boil! Or something sweet like ice cream or strawberry fondue, like melting chocolate.”

• Mrs. Douglass: “Something that involves cheese, like melty cheese, fondue cheese.”

• Adam: “Probably a bookstore, like a Barnes and Noble. Like the bookstore or the library, and then just sitting down and talking or reading together, that’s ideal.”

What is the best Valentine's Day date?

• Going out to dinner
• Cafe or bookstore
• Activity like baking or crafts
• Movie night

Fourth Question: Is brown a Valentine’s Day color?

Some could see the potential for brown to symbolize this holiday:

• Sadie: “You know what? It could be! I would say brown is a Valentine’s Day color.”

• Jackson: “I think brown is a Valentine’s Day color ‘cause like chocolate and a lot of the candy we see on Valentine’s Day.”

• Mrs. Douglass: “Yes. Valentine’s Day is a day, and so brown is available on all days, so sure.”

• Amal: “When I hear the word brown, I don’t associate it with Valentine’s Day. I don’t think it’s a Valentine’s Day color, well, it could be in the right context. I think it’s a secondary Valentine’s Day color where it needs something else to evoke Valentine’s Day.”

But others believed it had no place in Valentine’s Day:

• Macy & Lisa: “Brown? It goes well with pink, but the colors of Valentine’s Day aren’t pink and brown. Yeah, it’s not.”

• Dalton & Connor: “In terms of food, yes, but no, I honestly don’t think it should represent the entire holiday. It’s red and pink– and white.

• Adam: “I think brown is too muddy, too off-putting of a color, you know? Valentine’s Day is all about like sweet love; it’s not supposed to be muddy.”

Is brown a Valentine's Day color?

• Sure!
• Absolutely not

Fifth Question: Is Valentine’s Day red or pink?

Some were confident that red fully represented Valentine’s Day:

• Amal: “Red. Valentine’s Day is red, it’s the first thing that popped into my head. Like I associate hearts with Valentine’s Day, and I associate hearts with the color red, so therefore, I associate red as the color of Valentine’s Day.”

• Vivian Daniel ‘29  & Cadence: “It’s definitely red, like a certain shade of red. Red is the heart, and like the blood you pump. It more symbolizes love, pink is more friendly.”

• Dalton: “Red. I would say red’s the color of love, and it’s like the essence of human life.”

Others felt it was situational:

• Macy & Lisa: “I think for married people it’s red, like it depends on your status. If people are dating or like friends, it’s pink.”

And some thought pink perfectly evoked the feelings shared on Valentine’s Day:

• Sadie: “Pink.”

• Connor: “Pink, ‘cause I would say pink’s the color of love. Red is like the color of rage and anger.”

• Mrs. Douglass: “Well, pink is my favorite color on all the days, and on Valentine’s Day it’s pink, so pink.”

• Adam: “Pink. Red is a primary color, Christmas has got red, so you already have another major holiday having red, and pink is like, it’s got the feeling of love, man. Pink is like romantic love– red is like love in general, it’s got different feelings.”

Is Valentine’s Day more red or pink?

• Red
• Pink

Last Question: What’s your favorite rom-com?

Various films were provided for this question, but all that brought joyful memories:

• Amal: “It’s called Love Hard, it’s absolutely hilarious, I love it. It’s a play on words of Die Hard and Love Actually.”

• Sadie: “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I love that one!”

• Macy & Lisa: “Does The Notebook count? I also like Flipped.”

• Vivian Daniel ‘29: “Any Hallmark ‘cause it’s like corny and it’s the same plot every time.”

• Mrs. Douglass: “10 Things I Hate About You, for sure.”

• Adam: “My favorite rom-com is Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – Ultra Romantic. It’s the only movie that I watched at a theater where I burst out laughing. I usually never do that, but that was the one and only movie that made me laugh out loud. Also, I watched that film on Valentine’s Day.”

What's your favorite rom-com?

• 10 Things I Hate About You
• Love Actually
• The Notebook (which is not a rom-com)
• To All The Boys I've Loved Before