Valentine’s Day (Saturday, Feb. 14) is once more around the corner, with celebrants gearing up to spend billions to say, “I love you.”
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2026 survey, consumers were expected to spend a record $29.1 billion, up from last year’s $27.5 billion, the previous record. Shoppers are budgeting $199.78 on average for gifts, an increase from $188.81 last year that exceeds the previous record of $196.31, set in 2020.
And while candy remains the No. 1 gift, Valentine’s participants will spend the most on jewelry — $7 billion. Already Tiffany & Co., with The Landmark flagship in Manhattan as well as stores in White Plains and Greenwich, has unveiled its 2026 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide, featuring such Tiffany designs as HardWear, Knot, T, Lock and the new Bird on a Rock by Tiffany fine jewelry collection. The Tiffany HardWear collection – with its gauge links in 18-karat yellow, rose or white gold, as well as sterling silver and often featuring pavé diamonds – co-stars with actress Adria Arjona in the luxe emporium’s marketing campaign “Celebrating Love Stories Since 1837.” In the campaign’s short film, set against the Manhattan skyline at night, a couple are not quite what they appear to be. Arjona sports a HardWear by Tiffany suite — a graduated necklace and matching earrings and bracelet, along with a Tiffany Setting engagement ring that plays a key role in the plot.
Nonprofits as well as retailers and restaurants are also looking to capitalize on the lovefest. The Glass House, the historic New Canaan home of architect Philip Johnson, has a curated collection of Modernist Valentine-related objects, books and art editions in its Design Store.
Bedford Playhouse celebrates with a screening of the 1987 romantic comedy “Roxanne,” a retelling of Edmond Rostand’s play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” in which a brilliant man with a pronounced proboscis (nose) helps a handsome but dim-witted rival woo the woman he secretly loves. The 7 p.m. screening includes wine, a charcuterie board and a sweet treat as movie munchies.
Increasingly, however, the holiday has become an opportunity not only to purchase a Tiffany heart but to talk about the psychological one.
“There can be a lot of pressure surrounding Valentine’s Day,” Emily Bly, Ph.D., said in a statement. “It’s a day with high expectations, and it’s often hard for reality to match up with the messages we’ve received over the years about what the holiday is supposed to be like. But there are ways to manage expectations and feelings – and maybe even enjoy the day.”
We reached out to Bly – CEO and clinical director of Psychology Partners Group, with offices in Hartsdale and Chappaqua – to get more details. She started our conversation by noting that when it comes to Valentine’s Day – which began as a blend of ancient Roman and early Christian traditions before morphing into a romantic celebration in the Age of Chivalry, the Middle Ages – social media is both a help and a hindrance. On the one hand, its videos and memes can leave singletons with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and perhaps remembering all those times in grammar school when your pile of Valentines from classmates may not have been as high as those of others.
But social media, which can leave you feeling jaded about the day, also offers ways to open it up. And broadening our notion of Valentine’s Day is key, said Bly, who received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The Graduate Center, City College in New York and completed an internship at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, before going on to postdoctoral training at Columbia University’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
“You have to expand the definition of love, and that includes self-love in a healthy way. Who do you want in your circle of love and how do you want to honor that? It doesn’t have to be about romantic love.”
Apparently, shoppers are already heeding that message. “Valentine’s Day is a cherished holiday that resonates with many Americans, as seen with expected record-breaking spending this year,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said in a statement. “Much of that growth is driven by middle- and high-income shoppers who are expanding their gift lists to include friends, co-workers and even pets in addition to loved ones.”
Begin, Bly added, by “setting your intention for the day. Have a plan.” And have a plan B.
It might be a day of service to your community, in the manner of Martin Luther King Day, or with family and friends. Ever since the idea appeared on the TV series “Parks and Recreation” in 2010, women have taken to celebrating Feb. 13 as “Galentine’s Day,” with brunches, gift exchanges and spa treatments revolving around their gal pals.
Or for those who want the full-on traditional Valentine’s Day, Bly offered a reminder that there’s nothing stopping you from treating yourself to anything from a mini preserved red rose ($3.95 at CVS) to a piece of Tiffany hardware.
“As Miley Cyrus sings, ‘I can buy myself flowers,’” Bly added. “It’s a great female empowerment song.”
