“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year.”
Leslie Knope said it best. Made popular by Amy Poehler’s character on Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day is observed on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day. It’s an occasion to get your girlfriends together and celebrate each other and the special bond of female friendship. It’s about “ladies celebrating ladies.”
I personally love the idea of Galentine’s Day, and I’ve made a point to celebrate it in one way or another for the last few years. (For instance, if you’re looking for some fun little gifts for the bad ass ladies in your life, check out my gift list.) Knowing that not all of us live near our best Galentines, I wanted to put together a list of ways to celebrate, whether you’re near or far. Below are six Galentine’s Day ideas to celebrate and connect with your main ladies, no matter where you are in the world!
Galentine’s Day Ideas to Celebrate with Your Ladies
Host a Favorite Things Party
My friends and I used to do this in college, and I absolutely loved it! Not only do you get fun gifts (who doesn’t love presents?), but you can also learn a lot about the ladies in your life. It’s also the perfect party theme to turn virtual if your ladies are scattered across the country.
The first step of hosting a favorite things party is reaching out to your partygoers and having them choose one of their favorite things that they would want to give to three other friends. It’s normally a good idea to put a price limit on the item so everyone’s favorite things are similar in value.
When everyone arrives at the party, choose one person to begin the gift giving by explaining what they brought to the group. Then, three attendees will be randomly chosen to receive that person’s favorite thing.
For an in-person event, we used a mason jar with slips of paper, but you could use a website like wheelofnames.com to choose each winner virtually. Just be sure to include each of your party attendees three times and remove them from the wheel each time they are chosen.
There’s no wrong answer when trying to decide what to bring! I remember receiving a mixed tape and specialty candy, the St. Ives Apricot Scrub we all loved and then were forced by our dermatologists to abandon, and a gorgeous journal. Some other ideas for “favorite things” include:
- skincare products like face masks or serums
- bathroom accessories like bath bombs or bath salts
- candles, frames, or home decor products
- books or cookbooks
- handmade crafts like mugs, mixed CDs, or paintings
- clothing or accessories
- gift cards to restaurants or specialty stores
- tickets to a museum, concert, or cooking class
Encourage your friends to get creative and have fun with it! As long as they keep to the price minimum, they could bring a few smaller items in a care package or one big item. Once all the favorite things have been divvied up, everyone exchanges gifts (or your friends can have them shipped straight to their recipients for a virtual event).
Read a Book Together
Does anything say “Galentine’s Day” like a good book and a glass of wine? Celebrate Galentine’s Day with a book club meeting for all the ladies in your life. What book should you choose to read together?
- A timeless, romantic story like one of these Pride and Prejudice adaptations
- An empowering female memoir like Becoming by Michelle Obama or My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
- A book to inspire female leaders in the workplace like The Myth of the Nice Girl by Fran Hauser or How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
- A classic fiction selection about women like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott or The Awakening by Kate Chopin
- A book about feminism like We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Make a Donation in Honor of Your Galentines
Flowers, chocolates, heart-shaped jewelry? What your Galentine really wants this year is a donation in her name to an organization she cares about!
Not sure where to begin? Here’s a list to get you started.
- Girls Inc.
- Planned Parenthood
- Girls Who Code
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Dress for Success
- The Malala Fund
- GLAAD
Create a Girl Power Playlist
Whether you play this playlist of your favorite female artists at your favorite things party, send it to your besties, or simply enjoy it throughout the day, these tunes are a great way to celebrate Galentine’s Day!
I’ve gotten things started for you with this Happy Galentine’s Day playlist on Spotify.
Send Galentine’s Day Cards to Your Girlfriends
I don’t think Galentine’s Day is represented in your local Hallmark aisle just yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pen some love to a lady friend. Consider this the perfect excuse to invest in some beautiful stationery and get those thoughtful notes to the post office!
Rifle Paper Co. Personalized Flat Notes in Strawberry Fields
Or you might want to check out these cards to help make your Galentines feel extra special.
Rifle Paper Co. Galentine’s Day Card
Cheers to Badass Women Card
Knope-ism Galentine’s Day Notecard Set
Take a Galentine Out to Breakfast
For perhaps the most perfect of all Galentine’s Day ideas, why not go to the source? Leslie Knope celebrates the holiday with her favorite ladies and a whole bunch of breakfast food. Pick your favorite brunch spot and spend quality time with your number one gal over some bacon and eggs!
Here are some of my favorite brunch restaurants with locations all over:
- The Original Pancake House
- Le Peep
- First Watch
- Waffle House – because nothing says “you’re my main gal” like sharing an order of hashbrowns, scattered, smothered, and covered
And if you’re local to the Cincinnati area, here are all my favorite places to grab breakfast food near me:
What Galentine’s Day ideas would you add to my list?
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my gift list of the best items to woo your Galentine!
Save This Post on Pinterest
Thanks for reading! Posts on An Aspiring Heroine may contain affiliate links. When you click and shop the links, we may receive a commission. Learn more.
