It’s Valentine’s Day, and you can’t help but notice the couples engaging in lovey-dovey public displays of affection everywhere you turn. What’s a single person to do?

Instead of sitting at home with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, Laura Hohman and her roommate Adam Musha are throwing an “Anti-Valentine’s Day PAR-TAY” for their fellow single friends.

Hohman, a physics and astrophysics sophomore, said Valentine’s Day can sometimes be depressing for singles, and that she wanted her friends to have somewhere to have fun instead of sitting at home, alone.

“We want to stress that being young and single is fine,” Hohman said. “There’s no rush.”

Hohman said they’ve planned to have a heart-shaped piñata for the event, in addition to movies and games.

“We’ll smash a heart up, so that sounds pretty exciting,” she said.

Chrissy Monfette, a physics sophomore, is planning to attend Hohman and Musha’s festivities because she recently went through a difficult break-up.

“I’m a little anti-love right now,” Monfette said.

Dean Hewes, a professor in the department of communications studies, said there is nothing wrong with taking a little bit of the romance out of Valentine’s Day.

“Sometimes there gets to be an overemphasized view of romantic love that’s not particularly functional,” Hewes said of the Valentine’s Day hoopla.

Hewes also agreed with the idea of enjoying the single life and not rushing into relationships.

“We often see people who are bound and determined that this is the moment because they’ll never have another chance again or something like that, and it’s simply not true,” Hewes said. “Thinking carefully and taking some time is good.”

Musha, a linguistics and anthropology student at Hamline University, said he thinks it’s becoming a trend for young singles to get together on Valentine’s Day.

“More and more people are single and willing to get together with friends that they’re comfortable with instead of sitting at home,” he said. “It’s not that you constantly have to be with a significant other.”

Target Corporation is even joining the trend this year by offering a special line of “Love Stinks” products in the midst of the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and conversation heart candies that typically adorn their seasonal departments.

Among them are pink ceramic “You Make Me Completely Miserable” mugs filled with skull-and-crossbones candies, a stuffed voodoo doll, and “Sweetest Revenge” chocolates.

History sophomore Carl Nelson said that, although he thinks Valentine’s Day is “pointless,” he can appreciate when someone comes up with original ideas.

“Whoever came up with that idea should get a raise,” he said.

Target spokeswoman Brandy Doyle said the company wanted to provide a “well-rounded assortment” of products.

“We always try to appeal to a wide variety of customers,” she said.

Monfette said she would consider buying the products to make a single friend feel better.

“Having a cute little teddy bear that is just as angry at Valentine’s Day as you are – the absurdity of it would brighten anyone’s day,” she said.

–Holly Miller contributed to this report.