For the most part, I agree with Andrew Hanelly about how Valentine's Day has become a commercial holiday ("Store-bought gifts show Valentine's hypocrisy," Feb. 14), just like how people associate Christmas with presents. However, I believe the general meaning of Valentine's Day still exists.

Even though love should be expressed every day, it is still nice to have a day when we express our true feelings. I don't think it's a question about money at all -- the expectations could be prevented if people in relationships talked about a Valentine's "criteria" first. For example, this year my boyfriend and I agreed on nothing expensive. That way, we didn't have to deal with the embarrassment Hanelly had to experience. I think the main problem is people think they need to spend a lot when they shouldn't. It's miscommunication: Couples don't know what to get for each other. They would feel comfortable with just a letter of endearment if they agreed on it. You'd be surprised how many people would support simplicity if they just talked about it to each other first.