It’s that time of year again. Yes, Valentine’s Day 2024 is around the corner. What a glorious and magically strange day this is, full of love and affection for some, loneliness for others, and hilarious memes for those who don’t really care about this holiday and its traditions.
Did you know that this day originated as a Christian feast day to commemorate Valentinus, who was beaten and beheaded for his beliefs in 269 Rome? Heavy stuff. And what a far cry from its current form, complete with antacid candy hearts, overpriced rose bouquets, chocolate boxes with their hit-or-miss mystery flavors, and naked baby angels armed to the teeth with archery equipment.
As we’ll be discussing the best Valentine’s memes this year, we wanted to kick start things with a poignant observation about the holiday from our friend, Steve Harvey, something that we feel sums up Valentine’s Day perfectly:
Valentine’s Day is an important yearly tradition for some. Others see it as a day to prove their worth to the world, showing that they’re of high value to people in their lives or to their online following.
For some singles, February 14th is a vile, unnecessary holiday that serves only to remind them of their singleness. They spend the night in or go out with their friends and, at some point in the day, post online their hate for Valentine’s Day, how it can never be used as a yardstick to measure their value and worth.
Regardless of how you feel about the “Feast of St. Valentine,” we can all laugh over some of the insane traditions and expectations this day is known for and how Valentine’s Day lives rent-free in some peoples’ heads. Let’s look at the funniest Valentine’s Day memes, eleven of the best online ones encapsulating the insanity of February 14th!
Yeah, I’m Single But I’m Not Gonna Shout it From the Rooftops
We believe you’re not better or worse for liking to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The same goes for those who vehemently oppose the holiday. Anything we talked about in our intro was poking some gentle fun at how crazy Valentine’s Day can make people, regardless of who they’re with or how they celebrate.
But we didn’t give a shout-out to that faction of singles that don’t make a big deal about feeling lonely during the holiday. Let’s be honest: these are the unsung heroes of Valentine’s Day!
This is the kind of guy or gal whose attitude is, “Eh, it is what it is. At least, I can go out tomorrow and get some half-off deals on candy and chocolate. So, there’s that.”
Mr. or Mrs. Single McSingleton, we really appreciate you not being “that guy” who uses Valentine’s Day as a platform for complaining about your circumstance like everyone else! We salute you!
I’m High-Value!
Everyone wants to feel as if they’re loved and valued, especially on Valentine’s Day when there’s quite a bit of societal pressure to be seen with a romantic prospect or have a romantic partner. Hilarity ensues when the pressure gets so high that some people begin using sleight-of-hand tricks on social media to show everyone they’re having a picture-perfect Valentine’s Day.
This entire operation is wonderfully hilarious to watch; some people don’t care about finding love or romance but keeping up appearances of being high-value and getting validated on social media.
We love the concept of trying so desperately to prove something to people who either don’t care or don’t notice.
It’s a meme like this that shows how far some people might go to adhere to the weird customs of Valentine’s Day and what it says about their value.
This one’s a bit more zany, but we bet you anything that at least five people have done this, and not in a joking way.
Oh, the lengths some people will go to impress their social following.
I’m Single and Alone, Feel Bad for Me!
One of the dark hallmarks of Valentine’s Day is singles taking to their social media accounts, posting about how much they hate the holiday and what it stands for. Others bemoan that they haven’t found Mr. or Mrs. Right yet, trying to evoke sympathy and validating comments from their online friends and followers. We understand and feel for the lonely, but at a certain point, people don’t want to hear about it anymore.
This one takes the wind out of the sails of anyone who uses Valentine’s Day to get sympathy from others for their singleness situation or is fishing around for compliments or encouragement.
We cannot help but laugh.
Wonka never ceases to get right to the heart of the matter.
I Can Dream, Can’t I?
When we said some of these Valentine’s Day memes had us rolling, this was one of our favorites! We’ve all spent at least one February 14th like this. On one side of the panel, you have something straight out of a Sandals Resort advertisement, and the opposite is your Tuesday lunch order when you’re on your work break. Hilarious!
This is what Valentine’s Day is like for many people. It’s just another day for them. And that’s ok!
This meme speaks to the power of marketing and societal expectations surrounding Valentine’s Day.
Unless you’re a top ten percenter, who spends February 14th jet-setting down to the Caribbean? Give yourself some grace.
I realize that’s not the point of the meme, but still.
Here’s another meme on the same wavelength, and the cat’s face is what makes it for me.
I have several cats at home, and people who own cats and love cats get a lot of undue hate, but it doesn’t take away from this Valentine’s meme, which had me ROTFL.
See No Valentine’s Day, Hear No Valentine’s Day
While some people don’t care for Valentine’s Day, they aren’t going to hate on those who celebrate, complain about why they’re single, or talk about why the entire idea of the holiday is wrong. They’re just waiting until February 14th blows over.
Not a bad strategy for getting through Valentine’s Day as a single person, if we’re being honest.
There are no opportunities for getting jealous, and you’re not annoying others with your distaste for the holiday.
Huh, this meme is profound.
The Most Expensive Day of the Year
If you truly love someone, there are 364 other days of the year where you can make it known, but the expectations for large displays of affection are high on this designated day, designed to make money for the card and candy companies.
And because expectations are so high, February 14th can become costly for the average person.
February 14th rolls around, and couples feel compelled to overspend on fancy jewelry, chocolates, and high-end steak or pasta dinners to wow their significant other, taking out a second mortgage on their home to fund the day’s events.
We couldn’t help but laugh at this one because we all know that much of Valentine’s Day overspending is motivated by the hopes of getting lucky later and/or getting likes and validation on your annual Valentine’s Day Instagram post.
Getting Your Hopes Up
Let’s stroll down Memory Lane.
This one hits home with those of us who ever got a Valentine from what we thought was a secret admirer at school, only to find a message from a family member or the school faculty expressing their love and appreciation for us.
The horror!
With this Valentine’s Day meme, you could replace “teacher” with “mom” or “grandma,” and it would have the same effect.
For all of us adults, this one takes us back to a simpler, halcyon time of puppy love, hoping that your crush will return your feelings when February rolls around.
Ah, yes, back when life and your day-to-day problems were so simple,
Knowing What You’re All About
Some people know they’re on the singleness train for the long haul and embrace Valentine’s Day humor with everything they have, but they do it in a way where they aren’t fishing for compliments or encouragement. And we have mad respect for these kinds of people. They wear their singleness and loneliness as a badge of honor.
This is the perfect middle ground between a sappy Valentine’s Day post from two love birds and bitter singles who crash on Valentine’s Day traditions or customs.
These people know what they’re all about and inject a little humor into Valentine’s Day, where there can be a lot of negativity.
People posting memes like this are the Chads and Staceys of Valentine’s Day.
A Topical Valentine’s Day Meme
With the prices up across the board since about 2021 and gas prices spiking, dropping back down, and going up again, the inflation jokes are a mere formality in February 2024. You can swap out the gas can for a carton of eggs, and this Valentine’s meme would have the same effect.
Trust us; there’s nothing sexier for Valentine’s Day 2024 than to fill up a couple of five-gallon gas cans with the fuel of the highest octane: 91, not 87.
Forget the diamond rings and chocolates. Forget Cheesecake Factory or Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Head down to the Shell or Chevron station, fill that puppy to the brim, and give them something they’ll remember for years!
Closing Thoughts
We thought we’d have some fun talking about the insane aspects of Valentine’s Day, so we hope you didn’t take anything too personally.
No matter who you are and how you celebrate February 14th, know that this holiday can bring out the craziness in all of us, and it’s good to laugh about it!
We still can’t believe that this holiday started with something as serious as a Christian martyr in Roman Times, but hey, it’s good for the economy, and it makes for some excellent Valentine’s memes!
