It's a privilege to say you hate Valentine's Day — remember that

To all the hipsters saying the holiday is just a capitalist goldmine, check yourself

Fewer Americans are celebrating Valentine’s Day this year.

Spending might be at an all-time-high, but only 51 per cent of adults will actually mark the day, lower than any year for at least a decade.

I moved to the US last year and got myself an American Boy (Estelle would be so proud) so for our first Valentine’s Day together I wanted to get it right. I asked around about the etiquette. Do you get a present? Are cards mandatory?

Unsurprisingly I was met with a similar reaction to whenever I bring it up back home in Britain. Either a totally apathetic, non-committal response, or a vehement denouncement. A Hallmark Holiday, a capitalist goldmine, just an excuse to buy shit and make single people feel lonely.

You’re bombarded with the if-you-like-it-put-a-ring-on-it heteronormative ideals of the advertising world. And it’s not just gauche TV adverts and shop windows like ye olde days. Now your phone literally listens to you and spams your Instagram with impossibly perfect roses, shiny engagement rings and bow-shaped lingerie.

Despite all this -- and mass-produced teddy bears with hearts cruelly sewed to their hands aside -- I still believe there’s something wholly warm and lovely about the day. That might not seem like your typical millennial perspective, but hear me out.

Most holidays are incredibly family-centric. If you don’t have close relatives, or you’re estranged from them, Christmas can be a truly bleak experience -- and if you’re from a broken home it can be such a stressful nightmare that it comes full circle and starts becoming a chore you’d rather avoid by going in to work.

Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day: lots of holidays have this problem. If you come from a happy home, it’s easy to forget that not everyone has a safe and supportive family to spend these days with.

The bigger holidays often mean expensive travelling, lots of preparation and effort, pressure to please everyone.

Then there’s Halloween. Sure, you don’t need a family to dress up as Batman and get drunk -- but it feels like there’s an age limit on this even more consumerist day.

But you can be any age and celebrate Valentine’s Day -- and you don’t need a family.

Granted the whole premise does sound like it requires a partner, and not everyone has one of them. But Galentine’s Day isn’t just a Parks and Recreation bit anymore.

You might not want to associate with the slightly patronising and sexist connotations of the silly alternative, so let’s just call it Palentine’s Day. If you don’t have a significant other, sitting in your friend’s house with a bottle of Chardonnay watching Dumplin’ still counts as celebrating. And commercially it’s clear that Palentine’s Day has gained huge traction: restaurants now offer discounts to groups of friends going out, and drinks specials for single friends celebrating together are almost as abundant as V-Day dinner deals this year.

It’s an excuse to spend an evening doing what makes you happy. The concept of self-care might scare some Brits, but take a page from America’s book and embrace it. Whether it’s a bubble bath with that book from your Christmas stocking, or gorging on heart-shaped pizza deals, get on board.

I’m sure I’m not the first to point out that the world is a pretty bleak place right now. It might not be popular to say it, but surely any excuse to celebrate love -- whether romantic or platonic -- is a good thing.

So get over yourselves and let's hear it for Valentine's Day. It's the consumerist, tacky holiday that you all love to hate, but should really embrace.