I’m sure you’ve heard of Valentine’s Day, but have you heard of Galentine’s Day?

what is galentine’s day?

There are no words greater describing Galentine’s Day than those of Leslie Knope –

“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 just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!“

We have a number of days celebrating romantic love, so why not have a day that is all about friendship? In short, it’s a day dedicated to celebrating the women and female friendships in your life. Nothing is stopping you from showing your love and admiration every day, but it’s fun to have a special day you can dedicate to sending flowers to your girlfriends and showing them how much they mean to you.

how did galentine’s day begin?

While Leslie Knope might be the patron saint of Galentine’s Day, it is the brain child of Park & Recreation’s head writer, Michael Schur. He has spoken about, despite Valentine’s Day being slightly problematic, the idea is right. Taking some time out of your day to recognise how swell your romantic partner is, is great. And if you can do that for your boyfriend or girlfriend, you sure as hell can do it for your female friends. Each lady and each friend is different, but when we come together, we complement each other and can do amazing things together. We build each other up, we support each other, and we’re there when things get tough.

how to celebrate galentine’s day

Galentine’s Day is a special day that I have celebrated since I knew what Galentine’s Day was. Back in 2014, I was visiting my friend Sarah, and we were enjoying a snuggly, cozy winter’s day inside. We had already binged a few seasons of ‘Jerseylicious’, tried our hand at recreating the looks, but were on the hunt for something new to watch. We came across an old box of DVDs, and found the Season 2 box set of Parks & Recreation. Neither of us had watched the show, but once that DVD began to play, we knew we were on to something special.

Each year since I have celebrated this glorious day. I like to send flowers, send brunch vouchers. One year I put together a care package for each of my female friends, including some candy, lip balms, and a friendship bracelet. I have made custom cards.

You can celebrate and commemorate this day in any way you like. You can post on social media about your favourite moments with your ladies, organise a brunch, send cards and flowers, or you can simply pick up the phone and just tell your friends how much you love and appreciate at them. Feminism is about choice, and Galentine’s Day is the same.

If I could organise my ideal Galentine’s Day, this is what it would be –

1. Wake up at a leisurely hour (which would probably still be 6am), and watch the the Galentine’s Day episode of Parks & Rec. Ideally with my best friends.
2. Spend a few hours getting ready for the day. Picking out our Galentine’s Day outfits, doing at-home facials, getting our hair ready, a mini-pamper day
3. Now time for brunch. We would head to our favourite cafe for some waffles, bacon, and mimosas. Here we would exchange our gifts and talk about how much we appreciate each other.
4. After brunch (which probably turned into lunch), we will go home and watch some movie or more Parks & Rec. We would also probably have a nap, we will need to recharge for our big night out.
5. We will, once again, get ready to go out. New outfits, play some music, have some drinks
6. Head out for a dinner of wonderful food, drink and laughs. We would then go dancing until the wee hours of the morning (or until 9pm, that’s about as late as I stay out these days), and profess our unwavering, blind support for every choice we ever make.

This year I will be celebrating Galentine’s Day in spirit, so I will have to settle for some home made waffles. You can find the recipe here.

If you celebrate Galentine’s Day, leave me a comment below. I would love to hear how you spend the greatest day of the year!

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