Valentine’s Day: Consumer Holiday or Circular Celebration?
- Christy Phillips
- Feb 13
- 5 min read
Plus 9 ways you can close the loop this year.
Valentine’s Day is often associated with cards, candy, flowers, and gifts. While these traditions can be meaningful, they can also generate unnecessary waste and impulse purchases.
This post explores how the Valentine's Day holiday has evolved to be an example of our linear economy and become centered about something we don't love - waste. At its heart, Valentine’s Day is about connection and appreciation — values that pair beautifully with sustainability. With a few thoughtful choices, we can celebrate love while reducing waste and supporting our community.
Like many other holidays, Valentine's Day has become highly commercialized over time. So commercialized that its observance is generally unrelated to the original intent of the holiday. Valentine's Day is often considered a ‘Hallmark Holiday’. The term ‘Hallmark Holiday’ is often used in reference to a holiday that is promoted as a way to make money on things sold as part of its observance.
If you were to ask Hallmark about this phenomenon, they would point out that Valentine’s Day existed long before the company founding in 1910. The oldest known valentine dates back to 1415, and boxed chocolates were introduced in 1868, during a period of rapid industrialization. In fact, the American version of Valentine’s Day, as we know it, began taking shape in the 1840s. Therefore, while the term ‘Hallmark holiday’ does not necessarily mean a holiday invented by Hallmark, it has become synonymous with a holiday heavily marketed around consumer spending.
Let's circle back to that phrase ‘rapid industrialization’. The mid-19th century marked the end of the industrial revolution. The United States shifted away from an agriculturally based economy and into an industrialized one. This revolution spurred economic growth for some Americans, and buying a box of chocolates or a frilly card was something they could afford. This was around the time that the United States became a unified national market economy.
So what is a market economy? The general economic model in the United States is considered a linear market economy. VERY broadly, a market system is defined when buyers, as an entity, determine the demand for a specific good or service. Sellers, as an entity, determine the supply of that product. This is where the term 'supply and demand' comes from. Additionally, there are many cases where the seller determines the demand for the product through good marketing. An example of this would be the Valentine's Day displays we see this time of year - they are designed in a way to influence us to buy things.
For a market economy to work, there needs to be a sense of scarcity. If there is a lot of something, it is not worth as much. An excellent Valentine's Day example of this would be the De Beers Cooperation. De Beers is seen as the original diamond distributor. Since their establishment, De Beers would withhold the number of diamonds they released into the market, creating the illusion of low supply. This increased the demand - allowing them to sell their diamonds at a premium price.
This traditional reliance on scarcity, however, is now being questioned. In a climate where consumers are becoming more aware of their ecological impact, there is a shift in conversation about economic systems. Many companies, cities, and government agencies are considering an economic model known as a circular economy.
In our linear market economy, products are designed to be disposed - a finite life for the product (think takeout containers and gadgets that are impossible to fix). As you can probably gather, a linear market economy creates a lot of waste.
Most products in our economy follow a linear path:
take → make → dispose
A circular economy, also known as a closed loop system, is one that shifts the focus away from scarcity and towards abundance. In a circular economy, products are designed to be reused, repaired, and repurposed - creating an extended life for the product.
A circular approach keeps materials in use longer by encouraging:
reuse → repair → repurpose
As we near the end of this post, you might be surprised to learn that I love receiving Valentine’s Day cards. Sending letters to friends and family is one of my favorite things to do, and this holiday provides a widely recognized excuse to pause and express my gratitude. My sewing kit lives in a vintage Whitman’s chocolate box, and I currently have a bowl of candy hearts on my desk as I write this. There’s something comforting about participating in annual traditions while still thinking critically about them.
So, how can you close the loop this Valentine's Day?
Small shifts in how we celebrate holidays can help reduce waste, conserve resources, and strengthen local resilience.
Gift giving:
Send a handmade card to someone you love. Don’t worry, you didn't miss the deadline. You can send it on Valentine's Day to let them know that you are thinking of them on this day of love.
Gather a bouquet locally. Go on a walk together in your backyard with a pair of pruning shears and create a bouquet of evergreens (be sure you are on your own property before you snip your neighbors' hedges!)
Shop second hand. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a strangely specific knickknack that you would only find in a thrift store.
Buy chocolate and candy at a bulk food store such as the Portland Co-Op or Royal River Natural Foods (don’t forget to BYO jar!)
Things to Do:
Cook a meal together. Bonus if you include a desert.
Fix something in your house with loved ones - this would be a great weekend to finally get to that project you've been putting off.
Craft with reused materials (think quilting or collaging)
Play a game
Go on an adventure. Game night, movie night, or a winter walk can be meaningful and low-impact.
Celebrate What Matters Most
Participating in traditions and being environmentally conscious are not mutually exclusive. By making small, intentional choices, we can celebrate holidays in ways that align with our values and reduce our environmental footprint.
Here’s to a thoughtful, connected, and more circular February 💚
A Community Opportunity: Repair & Reuse
There is so much we can do to help shift our linear market economy towards a more circular one. The Sustainability Department is exploring the possibility of hosting a community Repair Fair.
Repair fairs bring neighbors together to:
Fix broken household items
Learn basic repair skills
Extend the life of everyday products
Keep usable goods out of the waste stream
I recently attended some phenomenal repair meet ups in Portland and Norway to get ideas. I had a sweater that I couldn't figure out how to mend, and I met a darning wizard who taught me how. If you’d be interested in attending, volunteering, or suggesting ideas, we’d love to hear from you as we explore this idea!
📧 send me an email: cphillips@gpcog.org.
In addition to the links found throughout the article, the following were also used:
