By now, I’m sure many people are familiar with the idea of Galentine’s Day. But if you’re not, then according to www.dictionary.com, it’s “observed on February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day celebrates platonic friendships, usually among women.” I, like many, learned of the holiday after watching the 16th episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, conveniently called “Galentine’s Day.”
The origin of the holiday comes after one of the main characters of Parks and Rec, Leslie Knope, decided to have a day to celebrate her friendships and to make it the day before Valentine’s Day. Since then, I think the holiday has taken off, and many people enjoy hanging out with their friends.
It may seem like Galentine’s Day is canceled this year, but like most things this past year, all you have to do is change the venue to Zoom (or any other online video conferencing platform). In addition to this, here are a couple more things you and your friends can do this February the 13th:
- Cook a meal and eat it
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If everyone likes to cook, choose a recipe that’s easy to make (or hard, depending on how great all of you are at cooking). Gather all your ingredients, and then call your friends and cook! There’s really not much to it other than cooking a meal while having your friends do the same on the other side of the screen.
- Baking Party
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Similar to cooking, choose a recipe and bake together! An add-on to this could be decorating and having a competition to see who has the best looking dessert. Or you could even all bake something different and deliver the baked goods to your friends on the 13th, and then talk about how amazing they all taste!
- Watch a movie or TV show
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At this point, I’m sure that everyone already knows and has used things like Netflix Party and Screener. However, if you haven’t, then these are different platforms where you can simultaneously watch the same show or movie on different devices. You and your friends could binge watch a cute rom-com or even watch a movie about friends— if you choose to do this, then here’s a list of extensions you can use to watch these Galentine’s movies.
- Play online games
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Playing Among Us and Cards Against Humanity has been pretty popular since the start of quarantine, and I think this would still be a great way to spend your Galentine’s Day! You aren’t just limited to these two games… there are so many other games online that you could play with your friends — the sky’s the limit!
- Have a self-care day
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Facemasks, nails, and relaxing are great ways to unwind while still having a great time with your friends! You could try to make DIY facemasks or journal together. Just make sure that if you do choose this one, you relax!
- Secret Valentine
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Similar to secret Santa, assign a “secret valentine” to everybody and go crazy buying presents. Once everyone has their gift, open up “in front” of each other and try to guess your valentine!
- Pajama Party
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You could include this in your self-care day, movie night, or baking party — or have this on its own. There aren’t any rules other than wearing your PJ’s and having fun.
- Just Talk
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Last but not least, just talking to your friends is a great way to spend your time this Galentine’s Day. Galentine’s Day is the “holiday” to celebrate friendships, so what better way to do this other than to catch up on each other’s lives!
February the 13th is a day to celebrate friendships, so however you and your friends want to celebrate is the way to go! It may be one of the things on the list, a combination, or something entirely different— just make sure that you are safe and following CDC guidelines while doing such!
Have a great Galentine’s Day!