February is already upon us and with that comes the constant stream of Valentine’s Day advertisements. But there is another day (in my humble opinion vastly more important day) in February that should be celebrated just as widely. I am of course talking about Galentine’s Day, a day to celebrate your BFFs, your gals that have your back and lift you up on a daily!
For those of you who don’t know what Galentine’s Day is, it is a holiday, created by Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope, that occurs every year on February 13th. So the day before Valentine’s is all about your friends!
Leslie described it perfectly in the show (this is part of episode 16 of season 2) “Ladies celebrating ladies”! Galentine’s Day is all about showering your girlfriends with love and having the best time together, whether outside cruising the restaurants and bars or inside marathoning those fluffy rom-coms and treating yourself to a relaxing spa day.
Now I’m not gonna lie, I am more of a “stay-inside-and-watch-five-movies-in-a-row” kinda gal myself and a student at that so I’m gonna share some epic Galentine’s Day ideas with you – but on a budget! Because we can still treat ourselves without spending copious amounts of money!
So without further ado, here are three steps you should follow for a fun and nerdy Galentine’s Day with your girlfriends!
1. FOOD
We are on a budget here, so this means no fancy restaurants. Instead we’ll be cooking this delicious Galentine’s Day meal ourselves – or well, preparing it with more cooking-savvy friends in my case as my skills in the kitchen are rusty (read: non-existent). And since this should be a fun and quick affair, here are some easy dishes you can whip up in basically no time AND have the best time preparing them with your BFFs!
- Waffles: This is a Galentine’s Day staple in honour of Leslie Knope. Leslie is known for her love of breakfast foods so here we are, eating waffles loaded with chocolate/maple syrup/berries and spilling – I mean, drinking some tea with our friends!
- Avocado Toast: There is no right or wrong way when it comes to preparing this Millennial favourite! This brunch dish only requires some toast, avocado and whatever you like best with that (I swear on mustard – don’t roll your eyes at me, just try it!)
- Cute little canapés! Fancy and quick!
- Home-made pizza! Now this is slightly more complex, but if you decide to do it with your friends it can also turn into a nice hour of bonding over cooking!
2. GIFT IDEAS – A.K.A BOOKS
Okay so in the spirit of not spending too much, we can go through some on a budget gift ideas! The first one is naturally books. Some might argue that books are not exactly cheap BUT it’s books, okay, Karen? We can all splurge a bit on books and treat our lovely girlfriends to some fluff! I put together a list of cute reads of different genres that are perfect for Galentine’s Day (aka have epic friendships AND OTPs to die for!)
- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: This historical fiction novel will win over your hearts instantly with its witty characters, familial ties and TOO PRECIOUS love story! Plus you can make a drinking game out of how many times Monty says something inappropriate.
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: A truly amazing classic about the power of sisterly love and all the adventures of the March sisters that will also inspire you to pull out a billowy white shirt and maybe even journal!
- Poetry collections by Amanda Lovelace for your poetry-loving friends (or tbh all your friends cause these poems are powerful)! Lovelace published some truly amazing collections all focusing on women and their strength! My personal favourite is The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One!
- Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu: You need this book in your arsenal due to its feminist manifesto, great female friendships and basically a girl revolution! (And we’re getting an adaptation directed by none other than Amy Poehler! No time like the present to read this gem!)
- Mixing this list up a bit and ending it with some lightning quick YA fantasy/sci-fi recs with super important female friendships: Six of Crows, Vampire Academy, The Lunar Chronicles, and The Gilded Wolves! Get lost in these epic adventure books that will make you want to join a ragtag team in a blink!
But in case books are not your go-to gifts, you can never really go wrong with some chocolates, a face mask or simply a cute card with a heartfelt message!
3. MOVIE MARATHONS OR “NETFLIX AND FANGIRL-OVER-NOAH-CENTINEO”
You had to know that this would make the list. First of all, Netflix basically owns us all at this point and if we go for Netflix OGs, To All the Boys I’ve Loved before is a perfect way to start your movie marathon! Swoon-worthy love stories, the power of sisterly love and some much needed drama! And since the second movie, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You is out just before Galentine’s Day, you can do a double feature! All the Noah Centineo, Lana Condor and Jordan Fisher you could ask for! The only downside of this epic movie marathon could be a possible rift between your friends – team Peter or team John Ambrose?!
Here are some other movie suggestions for a great day:
- Mean Girls: I don’t really have to explain this one, do I?
- Little Women: You can gift the book AND then have a movie marathon with this beauty! Plus you have a few adaptations to pick from – my personal favourite would have to be the latest one!
- Pitch Perfect: We have amazing friendships AND musical numbers! It’s a win-win situation plus you can make it into a real marathon and watch all three movies!
- The Princess Diaries: Another classic that takes you back in time! Many of us probably went through that “Maybe I’m a princess of a small and obscure country too” phase.
- Ocean’s Eight: I am sorry, but this movie is perfection filled with badassery, heists and all the Slytherin vibes!
And if you are into more extreme binging like myself (a season or nothing!), pick one TV show and binge! Some of the recent binge-worthy ones that are most fun to watch with friends are:
- The Bold Type: Okay so this is the obvious choice for a tv show to watch with your BFFs. A story of three badass gals living in NYC and slaying in the media world? Hells yes!
- You: Look, it’s creepy so you need a group of friends to watch it with. And to wonder aloud how no one sees Joe when he has his hat on. Is it an invisibility hat?!
- Spinning Out: The *drama*, you guys! Plus the mental health representation is on point which is always a good addition!
- Friends: This is honestly a very obvious choice. And really, is it ever a bad day to rewatch Friends? (The answer is: No.)
- Parks and Recreation: Get inspired by the hard-working and kickass lead ladies of this truly iconic sitcom!
And here we have all three steps you should follow for a fun Galentine’s Day that will save you a few bucks but still guarantee an amazing day with your BFFs!
And in the true Parks and Recreation I leave you with this wise words from Donna and Tom: “Treat yo self!”
