Valentine’s Day: Americans love their neighbors like no other country
Don’t let the headlines get you down: Americans are consistently the most generous and caring people in the world. This Valentine’s Day, hold fast to that spirit of love and kindness that made this country great.
Opinion-editorial by Summer Lane | February 13, 2026
In America, Valentine’s Day is synonymous with hyper consumerism: red balloons, boxes of chocolates, late-night dates, and romantic gestures.
The history of Valentine’s Day is considerably more complex than what’s represented in classroom parties and Galentine’s Day dinners. The celebration stems from a mix of cultural festivities, but the most prominent is the legend of St. Valentine in the Catholic church.
According to History.com, there are “at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus who were martyred in the third century A.D.”
Religious martyrdom is not typically what people think about when it comes to Valentine’s Day, but nevertheless, there is a connection. One legend suggests that St. Valentine, imprisoned for his faith in Rome, was in love with a girl whom he wrote a letter to, signed, “Your Valentine.”
This is just one of many stories surrounding the holiday’s origins. There are also pagan roots to the holiday, some argue, due to the intersection of St. Valentine’s celebration with Lupercalia – a fertility festival once celebrated in ancient Roman culture in mid-February.
While one may never truly know what the roots of Valentine’s Day were, it’s safe to say that in America, the date has come to represent the spirit of love and romance – and, perhaps, as the country gears up to celebrate its 250th anniversary, it could also represent the beating heart of American kindness, generosity, and spirit.
American love: a special cultural kindness
Americans are notoriously generous. Out of an abundance of prosperity in the freest country on earth, citizens routinely give to others – whether it’s their own communities or places around the globe.
In 2024, the U.S. collectively donated nearly $600 billion to U.S. charities, outpacing inflation for the first time in three years. According to Giving USA, two-thirds of these donations were contributed by individual Americans.
That is truly remarkable. “Total giving in 2024 reached record levels in current dollars and grew at a rate consistent with long-term trends—clear evidence of Americans’ enduring generosity and the value they place on nonprofit work,” stated Wendy McGrady, Chair of Giving USA Foundation and President and COO of The Curtis Group.
Americans love to give to charities. They love to help the people around them. This is the sign of a healthy society.
It looks like mainstream accusations of Americans’ selfishness, white supremacy, xenophobia, and colonial oppression just aren’t up to snuff.
American morality and faith
While America itself may not be entirely Christian, the groundwork of its moral fabric was influenced by the founders’ faith-based civilization, theology, and philosophy.
This means that Americans are broadly disgusted by crimes like human trafficking, crimes against children, crimes against women, and violent murder. The same cannot always be said of other countries, where violence against the most vulnerable members of society is not only ignored but, in some cases, validated.
Not in America. This is why there is broad disgust with the revelations that have come to light in the infamous Epstein files. Americans in general find sex crimes and under-the-table dealings repugnant. Why? Most Americans, whether they are faith-based or not, still hold to a Christian-influenced worldview of right versus wrong.
This makes Americans, as a society, a people who crave justice, protection, and kindness for its citizens.
While Americans have had to suffer accusations from radical influencers screaming about the supposed oppression of white colonialism or the evils of basic immigration enforcement, the truth is clear: America has offered more freedom, more possibilities, and more equal opportunities for all people, including both sexes, than any other nation on Earth.
How much more loving can one nation be?
Christian charity and the heart of the nation
America is not a perfect nation. Not by a long shot. But America’s people – the heartbeat of who this nation is – are indeed exceptional and caring. Americans are always ready to come together in the wake of disaster or crisis and help each other.
Americans consistently also reach out to the countries around them and offer aid to war-torn regions, bringing food, supplies, and even the Christian faith.
The United States is the epicenter of global faith-based missions. According to Christianity Today, the top sender and receiver of missionaries is the United States. This is no surprise, but consider how impactful this is! Missionaries are not federal employees. They are extensions of American culture – an action-based manifestation of the love and charitable heart that the American religious community organically has for the world around them.
What a gift to the world – and what a stunning rebuke of critics who claim that America is an oppressive nation.
This Valentine’s Day, consider the exceptional heart of the United States of America, a living, breathing example of how one nation, under God, can accomplish so much for so many, even amid a world that seems continually in crisis.
Photo: Adobe Stock
