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As the annual parade of love and consumerism marches toward us, Google decided to take a different approach to the typical Valentine鈥檚 Day themes.

For 2015, instead of Google鈥檚 animated letters sitting down to a candlelit dinner or proposing to one another, Google decided to display how 鈥渢echnology brings people together.鈥� The animations show random acts of kindness and are meant to highlight appreciation for each other, whether that be sending a heart-warming text or letting someone borrow your laptop charger.

This 鈥渞estore faith in humanity鈥� approach is refreshing in a holiday of cliches. Valentine鈥檚 Day is almost always divided into two different groups: gluttonous couples and cynical singles. But just as Google wanted to show how technology can bring people together, it is also a sign of changing times. As Valentine鈥檚 Day moves into the 21st century, and societies become more inclusive, there are other things besides romance to celebrate on Valentine鈥檚 Day. This holiday is no longer just for lovers.

According to , a specialty marketing consultant group, those who reap the biggest rewards from the holiday appear to want something more valuable than diamonds.

Influence Central surveyed 600 women and found that less then 50 percent saw Valentine鈥檚 Day as a romantic holiday and nearly 70 percent saw it as a day to spend with cherished family and friends. Of all those surveyed, nearly 80 percent said they would be celebrating with their children.

鈥淜ids have become very much a part of that celebration, and it鈥檚 also a way of reaching out to friends and recognizing this larger ethos of letting people know how much they care,鈥� chief executive officer Stacy DeBroff says. 鈥淲hat our survey found is this tremendous transformation of what has been a very romantic [holiday] and instead has changed in terms of how it鈥檚 being celebrated across the United States.鈥�

Of the women surveyed, 62 percent were planning on a quiet dinner at home and 69 percent planned on buying gifts for kids.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a holiday that鈥檚 been so attributed to going out and candles and chocolates ... and instead it鈥檚 focusing on this larger sense of gifting,鈥� Ms. DeBroff says. 鈥淔or example, flowers and jewelry, which have traditionally been associated with the holiday, are only 30 percent of the budget [this year] ... because we鈥檙e not in the heart of the economic recession, it's not that people can鈥檛 go out, it's that they鈥檙e opting to celebrate in a more inclusive way.鈥�

Women are not the only ones turning the traditional sense of Valentine鈥檚 Day on its head. Americans born after 1995 are not only bringing real-world issues and dry humor to the romantic holiday, but also a humbleness.

A joint survey by Bottlenose and Fung Business Intelligence Centre titled 鈥溾�� surveyed American spending habits for this V-Day and found that the younger generation was partial to handmade or personalized gifts. #Handmade and #Etsy were in the top 15 most referenced hashtags leading up to Valentine鈥檚 Day week. Now, #boycott did not beat out #love on the charts, but it did rank higher than #gift and #giveaway.

鈥淚n social media and online conversations, giveaways and contests have taken a backseat to real-world issues in 2015, while smaller trends surface around do鈥恑t-yourself audiences championing hand-made, personalized gifts," the report states. 鈥淭his is relevant, considering the female empowerment issue highlighted by younger crowds.鈥�

Times are changing, and so is Valentine鈥檚 Day.

鈥淲e have moved from materialism into more celebrations of the heart,鈥� says DeBroff. 鈥淧eople鈥檚 lives are increasingly busy and they want to take a moment to really let people know how much they care about them, and this has become the trigger to do that.... I think [there's] a sense we do not take the time in our busy lives to celebrate the breadth of relationships that truly matter to us.... It鈥檚 really focused on the message of 鈥榙id I remind you how much I love you?鈥� 鈥�

As the old-school tradition meets a new generation of consumers and empowered individuals, Valentine鈥檚 Day looks like it's being transformed into a celebration of love rather than romance.