February truly is the month of love and Galentine’s Day on February 13 fits right in. We are quick to shower our partners with cards, gifts, and romantic dinners on February 14, but the day prior was designed to celebrate other important relationships in our lives: our girlfriends! Galentine's Day, formed by a blend of "gal" and "Valentine's Day" is a day in which women celebrate their female friendships. Galentine’s Day is a time to bring together the ladies in your life you love most. The new holiday debuted in an episode of Parks and Recreation. The show had a great cast staring Leslie Knope played by Amy Poehler and my favorite Chris Pratt.
When asked “what’s it all about?” Leslie Knope says “What's Galentine's Day? Oh, it's only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas! — “Galentine’s Day,” Parks and Recreation, 2010 What was previously a non-existent and unofficial holiday almost immediately became an overnight sensation. This new “woman-made” holiday filled a void in the Valentine’s Day market that left single women feeling alienated by the pomp and circumstance of the lover’s holiday. Many people have a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day: the holiday is mocked as a fabricated holiday imposed upon us by greeting card companies. There is often a sense that it is only for people who are romantically paired, making it feel rooted in exclusion. All of which sets the stage perfectly for Galentine’s Day. Since it was introduced on-air twelve years ago, it has become increasingly popular, coming to life as a recognized celebration of the love between female friends. That’s right: Galentine’s Day—a day for women to celebrate their friendships with their lady friends. It’s Valentine’s Day with your best friends. If you have been looking for an excuse to have fun with your favorite gal-pals, invite them out for brunch this February 13th to celebrate with waffles and morning cocktails! If you want, you can also exchange Galentine’s Day cards or gifts. If brunch isn’t your thing, try an alternative celebration, like going out to dinner, taking a short road trip together, or just hanging out at home. Don’t worry about planning too far in advance. The most important thing is to find a little time to recognize your besties and Tribe. It is certainly not too late to organize your own Galentine’s Day celebration! Here are some ideas and tips to consider:
Host a Galentine’s Day Brunch. Celebrate with mimosas, mary’s and breakfast foods. Waffles—are a key part of the original “recipe” for Galentine’s Day festivities. To really get into the spirit of the holiday try adding a little red food coloring to the batter. Top your waffles off with whipped cream and strawberries. If waffles aren’t your thing, then serve the breakfast treats you love most, whether it’s fruity crepes, quiche, French toast, eggs benedict, or omelets.
Organize a meetup at your favorite brunch place. If you are really a stickler for having a “traditional” Galentine’s Day celebration, then going out for brunch is a must. An all-day breakfast joint or 24-hour diner is ideal if you aren’t all able to get together in the morning. That way, you can still celebrate with “brunch” even if it’s 8 PM!
Maybe brunch just isn’t your thing. Instead, get creative! Don’t feel like you must limit yourself. You and your friends might prefer having a fancy lunch, meeting up for an afternoon tea party, or dinner with Mexican food and margaritas! If you and your friends are feeling adventurous, you could even do a pub crawl and hit up a bunch of local breweries. I would suggest that Galentine’s Day is not a day for salads or restraint. If you are watching your diet, chalk it up as a cheat day. On the other hand, this is all about you and your Tribe so make it your own!
Organize a fun outing or day trip to get a change of scene. If you and your friends are a more adventuresome crowd, you might want to venture beyond food and cocktails at your local diner. Try doing something extra special, like hiking together, visiting a local museum, going to an amusement park, or create your own local scavenger hunt and team up to “find” area attractions.
Start your own Galentine Traditions! No matter how or where you celebrate, get festive with some fizzy cocktails. Champagne is a Galentine’s Day staple; however, some other tasty brunch cocktail options include vodka-spiked lemonade, a warm hot toddy, or a fruity brunch punch with bourbon. If you don’t drink, you can request (or make) a virgin mimosa with orange juice, lemonade, and Sprite. Give it a festive mocktail finish by rimming the glasses with sugar and sliced fruit for garnish.
Tell each of your lady friends what you love about them. Your mutual love for your female friends is really what lies at the heart of Galentine’s Day. Take a moment to go around the table and recognize each of your gals and talk about what makes her special to you. Pay your friends creative compliments that reflect what it is that makes them so important. You can even write a poem their honor.
This is a wonderful time to exchange cards or gifts. Choose gifts that reflect your friends’ personalities. Galentine’s Day is about celebrating what makes your girlfriends special, so look for gifts that are personal and meaningful to each of them. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or expensive—just a thoughtful present that shows how much your friendship means to you! Flowers are not just a symbol of romance. If any of your gal-pals have green thumbs or just like flowers, consider getting them a live plant or cut flowers that represent friendship.
Make your own gifts for a personal touch. There are few things more special than a hand-crafted gift. Print out pictures of your friends and put them in hand-decorated frames, make personalized keychains for each of your ladies, or even make everyone a friendship bracelet. My favorite is a handmade coupon book with girl-time activities to redeem in the coming weeks and months. Of course, the coupon book should include the simple yet meaningful treats like hugs, lunch dates, and chick-flick nights.
A vision board makes a deeply personal gift that will inspire your friend and make her think of you every time she looks at it. Get a little cork board and fill it up with beautiful, cute, or inspiring pictures of your friend, her pets or kids, and other people and things she cares about. You could even center your whole Galentine's Day event around creating vision boards!
I love the idea of Galentine's Day. Our girlfriends are important and should have a special day to build friendship depth and create memories. Relationships may come and go -- and Valentine's Day can be a stark reminder of that -- but good platonic
friendships are steadfast. Friendships continue to be a vital role in our lives, especially as we grow older, because they create a sense of stability in a world that is constantly changing. Galentine's Day can become an important tradition to celebrate the people in our life that don't often receive praise and appreciation. So, let’s do this ladies! Send a text or Evite to your besties and get your Galentine’s Day scheduled! I would love to see photos from your celebration. Be sure to take some Galentine Tribe photos and post them on social media #GalentineTribe so we can find them! I will share ours as well. When three or more Gather, We are Tribe.
All my love,
Brenda
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