Valentine’s Day, known by bitter singles as “Singles’ Awareness Day,” has become less than lovely for everyone. The holiday promotes the idea that you need a special occasion to show someone you care about them, and that you need to buy something to do so. It puts undue pressure on existing relationships and makes just about everyone who is single feel the gravity of their singleness. Couples are forced to rush to stores to participate in disingenuous purchases that are often more clichéd than heartfelt. It has become, like most holidays, a reason to spend, often without thought. Think about every small gesture or gift that a significant other has done for you to show you that they care. Chances are, they involved spontaneity, thoughtfulness, and a demonstration of attention paid to moments that felt unique to your relationship. Your Valentine (if you have one) is most likely to purchase a pre-written card, chocolates or roses for you. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend $17.3 billion on gifts for their loved ones this year. Most (51.2 percent) will send greeting cards, followed closely by candy at 48.7 percent, and flowers at 37.3 percent. Though maybe you’re a lucky minority, these three items probably have little to do with your relationship. The history of that lackluster box of chocolates you’re about to get goes back for hundreds of years. There’s record of couples celebrating the holiday by exchanging handwritten notes and small gifts early as the middle ages. But Valentine’s Day as Americans know it began here in Massachusetts. According to a story by WBUR, Esther Howland, whose father owned a stationary store Worcester, was inspired by an English-style lace Valentine’s card she received to begin America’s first Valentine’s card-making business in the mid-1800s. The cards became increasingly popular, and as the years went on, increasingly mass-produced. Now, most people will pick up their Valentine’s cards last minute at CVS on their way home from work, if they don’t send a pre-written e-card to their loved ones instead. Valentine’s Day could redeem itself by going old-school: a quiet exchange of sentiment between people who care about each other, rather than gifting each other with items that retailers tell us signify love. After all, it really is the thought, not the purchase, that counts.