Imagine this: It’s February 13, the day before all the Valentine’s Day excitement, but for you and your best friends, it’s Galentine’s Day! This special day is all about celebrating and spending time with the amazing friends in your life! Forget all the Valentine’s Day fancy love and gather your friends for a day filled with laughter, stories, and the kind of love friends understand!

What is Galentine’s Day? Gal is another word for a woman and Valentine’s Day is about spending time with your significant other, so Galentine’s Day is a portmanteau of gal and Valentine’s Day. On this special day, you celebrate your female friendships with the same amount of attention as you would with your Valentine.

Where did Galentine’s Day come from? Galentine’s Day started on the TV show “Parks and Recreation.” The main character Leslie Knope wanted a day just for women to hang out and to have the opportunity to celebrate their friendships. She decided to choose the day before Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day! She described the holiday as “Ladies celebrating ladies.”

Is Galentine’s Day just for women? Although Galentine’s Day was proposed for women, why not have a holiday where men can celebrate the same! It can be a special day for men to celebrate their friendships just like the women do on their special day. If men set this day up, it could be called Malentine’s Day (a portmanteau of male and Valentine’s Day.) If you’d prefer a gender-neutral holiday, it can even be called Palentine’s Day (a portmanteau of pal and Valentine’s Day.)

How to celebrate Galentine’s Day your way…

Galentine’s Day is not as much pressure as Valentine’s Day, so don’t overthink it. Just plan an activity for you and your friends to do together, such as:
– Going to a movie or concert
– A nice brunch or dinner
– Spa day
– Favorite things gift exchange
– If they are childhood friends, do an activity that takes you back to your childhood memories