The marriage license department on the 23rd floor of the Franklin County probate office is a rather sleepy place. It’s got a fantastic bird’s eye view of downtown Columbus, a couple of computers, a massive stack of microfilm records dating back to 1803, and a couple of clerks who, despite being modern-day cupids, seem dedicated to wearing perpetual frowns. 

Evidently, it’s always Valentine’s Day there. Even in mid-January, the place was decked out with red tinsel and cute wooden cutouts informing guests that “Love is in the air.” Against one wall, there’s a “kissing booth,” although I’m not sure that any couple has ever kissed there. 
The whole place is rather drab, and possibly even disappointing to any romantically-minded individual. There’s a distinct (and somewhat ironic) contrast between the government clerks trying not to fall asleep at their desks and the starry-eyed couples tying the knot. 
In many ways, it’s the same kind of stark contrast that exists between commercial Valentine’s Day, with its heart-shaped chocolate boxes and red roses, and the earnest (and perhaps few) men and women who find themselves in the throes of love. 
The unfortunate thing about the whole holiday, however, isn’t that there is an ironic difference between commercial romance and the real thing, but that there seems to be a growing number of young people who’ve lost sight of the real thing because all they’ve ever seen is its commercialized imposter. In disgust, they’ve decided to turn from Valentine’s Day to “Palentine’s Day” — or “Galentine’s Day” if you’re into celebrating your girly BFF.
If you don’t have a habit of scouring around on social media for the latest trends and developments, you could be forgiven for not realizing that the holiday of love is slowly being supplanted. At this point, it’s escalated beyond a couple of cards for lonely singles. There are t-shirts reading “love stinks, let’s drink” and cheesy Hallmark cards for the gals. Influencers are challenging followe...