Whether or not you’re familiar with fictitious Pawnee, Indiana Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Leslie Knope, her passionate efforts within her local government and her affinity for waffles, it’s safe to say you’ve heard of a little thing called Galentine’s Day. Sparked from the sixteenth episode in season two of Parks and Recreation of the same name, Galentine’s Day is a tradition started by Leslie where she takes all her gal pals out the day before Valentine’s Day and treats them to a special brunch to celebrate their friendship and feminine power. Whether you’re living up the single life or are in a committed relationship, Galentine’s Day has become a pop culture tradition steeped in honoring female friendships and “ladies celebrating ladies”!
1. Pick your venue.
Dial up your local girl gang. Are you and your crew the type to get all dolled up to sip mimosas at brunch at a fancy restaurant? Or maybe you’re more laid-back and prefer to enjoy each other’s company in your comfiest pajamas, baking cookies and binge watching Netflix (ahem, season two, episode sixteen of Parks and Rec is almost mandatory by tradition). Whatever is your speed, plan a place and time well in advance so that you can give your friends enough time to prepare. February 13 is traditionally Galentine’s Day, but you can always celebrate on the weekend before to accommodate work and school schedules.
2. Invite your twenty closest girlfriends.
Or one or two, but the more the merrier! In the spirit of the name, Galentine’s Day is about feminine power and independence; but it also goes far beyond heteronormative standards. Galentine’s Day celebrates the existence of individuals as being empowered and strong, with or without a relationship. Invite any and all genders and celebrate the individuality of one another! Honestly, it should be a national holiday at this point.
3. Gifts are optional, but never frowned upon.
Maybe you won’t hand-crochet a bouquet of flower pens, write each friend a five thousand-word essay on why you love them, or make mosaics of your friends’ faces from crushed bottles of their favorite diet soda, but a simple handmade Valentine a la elementary school arts and crafts hour would suffice just as nicely. You can even find designs to use by searching the “Galentine’s Day” tag on Pinterest or Tumblr and go from there. There’s no such thing as too much glitter glue in this case.
4. Send an email to Congress.
Demand Galentine’s Day be made a national holiday. For the women of the world. For the Pawnee Goddesses. For your lady friends. Hoes before bros. Ovaries before brovaries. Uteruses before duderuses.
5. Create a menu – and yes, waffles are mandatory.
Pop open your favorite cheap bubbly and make mimosas. Raid your local grocery store’s candy aisle and hoard the conversation hearts. Stock up on Eggos or take matters into your own hands and break out your favorite recipe to make some golden, fluffy stacks of deliciousness from scratch. Because, duh, this holiday was created by the one and only Leslie Knope. Pile on the waffles!
And don’t forget the whipped cream.