Meghana Manjunath “Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates, and guys are just people to have fun with.” — Candace Bushnell.
Everyone and their significant other is excited about Valentine’s Day coming up. But have you ever heard of Galentine’s Day? No? Well, you’ve come to the right place to learn all about this special day that celebrates the other great loves of our lives: our girlfriends! Without this special friendship we share with our girlfriends, our lives would be incomplete.
Our female friends are our go-to for everything from deciding on outfits for an occasion to venting about a bad day at work. Our girlfriends have it all covered. They are our shoulder to cry on, agony aunts, stylists, makeup artists, therapists, cheerleaders, and so much more. They are basically our true soulmates, as so eloquently put by Candace Bushnell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City.
We have holidays to celebrate all the amazing people and relationships in our lives. Why should celebrating female friendship be any different? Galentine’s Day is the glorious answer to that question!
Let’s take a look at the origin of this beautiful holiday.
Origin of Galentine’s day
In a classic example of “Life imitates art,” Galentine’s Day is a holiday that has its origins in pure fiction. It was first introduced in a highly rated 2010 episode of the show “Parks and Recreation,” aptly titled ‘Galentine’s Day.’ In this episode, Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, puts together a celebration brunch for her girlfriends from work on the eve of Valentine’s Day. Complete with breakfast, mimosas, and personalized gifts, she brought this delightful holiday on-screen and into our lives. And changed it forever!
It’s been over a decade since the episode first aired, and this holiday has unofficially made it into our lives offline. And we’re here for it! Ladies celebrating ladies, as it should be. Leslie would be so proud!
This popularity does beg the question, why is Galentine’s Day so popular? It is probably because the holiday fulfills a need. Just like Friendsgiving, Galentine’s Day allows us to dedicate a day to celebrate one of the purest forms of connection. There’s a science here, too, as these friendships can actually have a significant impact on your health and well-being.
So what do we celebrate on Galentine’s Day?
Celebrating Sisterhood, Platonic love, and Friendship this Galentine’s Day
February has long been synonymous with Valentine’s Day. And we’ve got nothing against the celebration of love. Yet, with movies and pop culture increasingly promoting romantic love, we sometimes forget about other connections that we hold just as dear. In its barest essence, Galentine’s Day is all about celebrating friendship, platonic love, and sisterhood in its barest essence. While often overlooked, these relationships contribute heavily to our life experiences.
Shows like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Girlfriends, Sex and the City all prove that female friends are essential companions on our journey through life. Every Monica needs Rachel and Phoebe. Every Lily needs a Robin. No Carrie could exist without Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha.
Well, now that we know why we celebrate Galentine’s Day, let’s get into how to celebrate with a bang.
7 Ways to Rock Galentine’s Day 2022
We’re going to tackle this from indoors to outdoors. Because it doesn’t matter if you’re an introvert or an extrovert, we’ve got an idea for you to celebrate Galentine’s Day in style! Without further ado, let’s go:
Classic PJ Party:
Picture this, comfy PJs, wine, charcuterie boards holding pink desserts, and an old rom-com playing on TV. Even the most outgoing girl would love to kick back and enjoy this perfect night indoors.
Cook Up a Storm:
Whether you want to barbeque out on the terrace or bake delicious goodies indoors, it’s your call. Call your girls over, look up some recipes, put on matching aprons, play some jazzy music and create culinary treats that everyone can enjoy!
At-Home Spa Sesh:
There’s nothing quite as rejuvenating as a spa day. Well, bring it home with ready-made beauty kits, some scented candles, finger snacks, and the freshest gossip. We guarantee your girls will love love love this idea!
DIY All the Way:
Are you and your gal pals the creative kind? Set up a DIY station at your place. You can all get together and create items that you can gift each other. You’ll definitely make beautiful memories along the way!
Shop Til Ya Drop:
They don’t call it retail therapy for nothing. Grab your girlfriends and hit your favorite stores. You could buy something cute for each other or for yourself. In any case, it’s a perfect way to celebrate. You can grab lunch together at a favorite restaurant to finish up a perfect day.
Trailblazers:
If you girls are the outdoorsy and adventurous kind, make a plan to go hiking on a scenic route in nature. Remember to carry snacks and water bottles. And, of course, click a million pictures against the backdrop of natural beauty.
Wine Sippin’:
There’s nothing that makes you feel fancier than sipping wine in the countryside. Get your fellow vino pals and drive out to a wine tasting. After all, one can never go wrong with some wine and cheese.
Whichever one you choose, you and your girlfriends are sure to have a blast this Galentine’s Day! You can thank us later!
Celebrating Galentine’s Day Virtually
We hate to bring the pandemic up, but it’s been a part of our reality for a while now. And unfortunately, that reality means that it’s not always possible for us to meet our favorite people in person. A lot of folks have spent much of the past couple of years in isolation. Yet messenger and video conferencing apps have helped us stay in touch with ease.
If you’re looking for ways to celebrate Galentine’s Day but can’t meet your friends, we have got your back!
Try out these tips for celebrating with your gal pals virtually:
- PowerPoint Party: Pick silly topics and create funny presentations. You can get together on a video conference call and present to each other. We guarantee this will bring you, girls, a lot of laughs!
- Mystery Meal: You can each pick one name and order a meal for a friend, but you can’t tell them what you ordered. Get together and eat your mystery meal with a side of great conversation.
- GameZone: You can pick an online multiplayer game that appeals to you and your girlfriends. Test your trivia skills or have fun teaming up and playing against each other.
While these ideas are great for an interactive celebration, there are other ways you can show your love for your girls virtually!
Galentine’s Day Specials
By specials, we mean the cutest social media posts that celebrate your unique and special friendship with your girls!
Check out these ideas to create the perfect social media posts to honor your besties:
- Then and Now:
- We all have friends who have been part of our lives for a significant amount of time. Pay homage to these timeless friendships with a simple Then and Now post. All you need is a picture from when you first met and the most recent photo of you together. Add a heartfelt caption and hit post!
- Photo Collage:
- This one works for a larger group of gal pals. Simply collect your favorite pictures and use an app like Layout to create a cute collage. Use fun elements like stickers and text bubbles to paint a pretty picture of your sweet friendship!
- Video Montage:
- If you want to go a step further, you can up the ante by creating your own video montage. Add pictures and video clips of you and your gal pals with a few snazzy effects, and voila! You can use an app like Rizzle to create a memorable video montage with a wide range of filters and templates to help you!
Female friendship is a precious gift. And it deserves to be celebrated with all the pomp and glittery glory possible. Few people in the world know us inside out like our girlfriends do. They’ve stuck with us through the thick and thin and everything in between. Galentine’s Day is that one day in the year you can show your gal pals just how much they mean to you.
We hope you will try out some of our ideas to celebrate your BFFs. If you liked this blog, let us know in the comments below and share this blog with your favorite girls!
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