SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Valentine’s Day is a day to remind your partner how much you love them and shower them with hugs, kisses, and maybe gifting them a simple card and flowers.

But since when was Valentine’s Day a holiday that even involved spending money in order to give love? Sometimes it may seem that this holiday is more about gifting love than giving love to your partner.

The answer is simple, it’s because of the marketing culture, which has made this holiday about spending money more than giving love.

“Valentine’s Day is one of the most pressure-packed days of the year, as retailers and social media outlets disseminate imagery and messages that idealize the day, causing couples across the lifespan to overthink, overspend and overconsume to fulfill socially constructed expectations that are unrealistic at best and destructive at worst,” said Maggie Daniels, Professor of Tourism and Events Management at George Mason University, in a WalletHub survey.

What started as a European holiday that focused on card giving has now become a holiday that forces jewelry, flowers, chocolates and more down your throat. It makes you believe this is something you have to give your partner which only benefits the retailers who convinced you to do it otherwise.

That idea is proven with data as roughly 39% of people expect their Valentine to spend at least $50 on a gift, according to WalletHub’s 2023 Valentine’s Day Survey.

Each year, Americans spend $25.9 billion in Cupid’s name making Valentine’s Day the third-priciest holiday on the calendar.

If you love or hate this holiday, either way, it most likely will cost you, literally.

Top 6 Valentine’s Day Facts for 2023:

• $25.9 Billion: Total Valentine’s Day spending projected for 2023 ($192.80 per person celebrating).
• 2X: Men will spend almost twice as much as women, on average, for Valentine’s Day 2023.
• $9.9 Billion: Amount Americans will spend on jewelry ($5.5B) and a special evening out ($4.4B).
• 25%: Share of marriages that begin online.
• 33%: Overall online dating activity increased across the U.S. between February 1 and February 14.
• $28.3 Billion: Projected global dating services market size by 2027.

Here’s Valentine’s Day by the numbers