Valentine’s Day season is officially upon us and if you’re single or can’t be with your beau this Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect time to plan a Galantine’s Day! You’ve probably heard of Galentine’s Day before, but in case you haven’t, here’s the deal: Galentine’s Day is a day to celebrate female friendship. Galentine’s Day was born in 2010, presented to us by none other than Leslie Knope in season two, episode 13 of Parks and Recreation.
“Every February 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style,” the character says.
1. Have a baking party over zoom
So, this one is a variation on my idea from an earlier article “Quarantine date ideas” but this one is a bit sweeter! You can either just bake for fun or take it up a notch and make it a competition, a la The Great British Baking Show. If you are in the dorm, mask up and order some ingredients and get cooking. If you are online, set up your camera in your kitchen and chat while you whip up some desserts. I would recommend some heart-shaped cookies or strawberry cupcakes for the vibrant pink color!
2. Exchange cards like in Elementary School
Elementary School valentine’s day parties were truly one of the best days of the school year. With this Galentine’s day idea, return to that innocence and joy and buy some cheap valentine’s cards from the store. You know, the ones with Disney princesses and Harry Potter characters! The perfect thing with this idea is that of you have friends online, you can send them some snail mail and if you are in the dorm, you can exchange cards like normal or even slip the cards under dorm doors to be a secret admirer (in a non-creepy way, of course!)
3. Have a secret cupid gift exchange
Just like secret Santa, secret cupid is an easy, and cheaper way to make sure everyone gets a little something for valentine’s day. Simply randomly choose one of your friends and buy them (or make them) a cute present. You can even have a theme. One of my friends suggested buying pepper spray for everyone as a “men suck, stay safe” valentine’s day present. If that’s a little too cynical for you, try a pink theme or a pop culture theme that your friend group loves! Just like the cards, these can be exchanged in person or via mail.
4. A Rom-Com Marathon!
Rom-coms are the perfect thing to watch with a group of girlfriends; you can squeal together at the sweet, romantic parts, laugh at the funny parts, and cringe at the cheesy parts. For this, I would recommend going to each of your friends and asking them what is their all-time favorite rom com. From there, make a list and try to cross everyone’s favorite off. Make sure to get plenty of candy and popcorn. Another great reason why rom-com night is a perfect galantine’s day idea is because it can be done over Netflix party, Zoom, or even over text!
In the end, no matter if you have a SO or not, Valentine’s Day is a day to show the people in your life that you love them.
I hope this list provides some inspiration for spending the day with your closest friends (even if they aren’t physically close). Happy a happy and safe Valentine’s (and Galentine’s) Day, Greyhounds!