Season of love: Students share their Valentine's Day plans

No matter if students are single, taken or overly dependent on late-night conversations with a Roblox boyfriend, quickly approaching is one of the most controversial and commercialized holidays in modern day. To many this is a day of laughter, kisses and waiting for a fluffy little animal — and no, it’s not Groundhog Day.  

Happy Valentine’s Day. 

Although the Yogurt Pump closes at 10 p.m., these couples have found ways to keep their V-Day sweet all day long. 

One Valentine’s Day journey begins with a nine-hour-long expedition. First-year Ella Feathers’ long-distance boyfriend, Eli, is traveling cross-country for the special day. 

“He's coming from Portland, Oregon,” Feathers said. “He is not going to get here until 4:05 in the evening, so my roommate is going to go pick him up from the Raleigh airport and drive him back here, and when he gets here, I’m going to have a fondue dinner made.”

While the nine-hour flight and layover is a large commitment, Feathers declared that she was still carrying most of the weight for their date. 

“I planned the fondue dinner, but he had to actually plan how to get here,” Feathers said. “I’d say I did most of the work, actually. I have to melt the cheese in the pot and cut up the bread — he’s only got to fly across the country!” 

Feathers isn’t the only one with a significant other on the opposite coast. First-year Sonny Santiago won’t be able to see his long-distance girlfriend in California for Valentine’s Day, but he is still hoping for a special gift.

“I would love food,” Santiago said. “But it's gonna probably be a little gift. It’s gonna be a heartfelt gift, I know for sure, but I was hoping for food.”

Although Santiago is excited to send his girlfriend flowers and talk over FaceTime, his favorite Valentine's Day era dates back to before he even knew what it meant to have a girlfriend.

“If I didn't have a girlfriend, I would not pay attention to Valentine’s Day,” Santiago said. “But as a younger kid, Valentine's Day was a big deal for sure. If I didn’t get a Valentine-gram or something, I was crying in my bed.”

While many miss the surprise of opening sticky, handmade love letters from their third-grade crush, first-year Eleanor Morton said that she and her girlfriend, Alyssa, are taking their gift reveal to a whole new level. 

The two first-years live together in Carrboro but said they plan to drive to their local grocery store for the first part of their Valentine’s Day adventure.

“Since we live together, we didn't get any gifts or anything, and we're planning on going to Walgreens or something and buying each other stuff there,” Morton said. “We’re going to do it separately and then go to the car and show each other what we got each other. It’ll be a little surprise.”

The couple is also planning on driving to Cary to buy chocolate strawberries, try boba tea and eat takeout food in the car. But despite the promise of sweets, Morton is especially excited to listen to music together on the 30-minute road trip from Carrboro.

“Honestly, the drive will be fun because we always drive over Jordan Lake, and it's always really pretty,” Morton said.

From eating fondue dinners to reflecting on a third-grade crush, Valentine’s Day provides the perfect excuse to celebrate and spend time with the people students care about. 

“Usually when I visit or she comes here, we just have a good time,” Santiago said. “It's kind of like a gift in itself, just being able to hang out with each other every now and then.”

@_hannahkaufman

arts@dailytarheel.com