I recently enjoyed Galentine’s Day with my gals, and it was a blast.
Let me explain. Galentine’s Day is a play on Valentine’s Day, except you spend it with your girlfriends rather than your partner. It’s basically just an excuse to hang out with your buddies with a pink-and-red theme, and that’s exactly what we did.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The invitation came about a month before Valentine’s Day. My bestie was hosting a Galentine’s party, and we were all invited, no partners allowed. It was set to be a fun evening with friends, with plenty of Valentine’s Day-themed details.
When I arrived, I was immediately impressed by my friend’s decor. She had transformed her space into a Valentine’s Day haven, with sparkly red garland and pink dishtowels and about a million other tiny touches that were absolutely adorable.
We broke bread. We made Shirley Temples with sticky candy cherries. We chatted about everything and nothing, which are my absolute favorite conversations to have.
My friend, in a move that truly puts the rest of us to shame, had baked little heart-shaped cakes for us all to decorate. I say “puts the rest of us to shame” because I know I personally could never pull myself together enough to do this. My idea of hosting is picking up a couple of pizzas and putting on a movie.
An activity? Decor? Truly, my friend was winning the hosting games. I aspire to be like her.
Anyway, we got out our icing and food dye and plenty of sprinkles and got to work decorating the cakes. It was messy and totally sweet. I created a frosting-heavy heap of cake and then piled a few sprinkles on top.
The best part? Edible glitter! Best believe my cake was sparkling.
But truly, when it was all said and done, the most enjoyable part of the night was when we all piled onto my friend’s couch and chatted. Her cats cycled through each of us, sitting on our laps and purring in our ears. We talked about future plans and past heartaches and goals for 2026. We caught up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while and updated one another. We just had a great time.
The point of Galentine’s Day isn’t the pretty decorations or the sweets-based activities, though those were nice elements. Instead, the idea is that you carve out time to show your appreciation for the friends in your life.
Valentine’s Day is so focused on romantic love, and our society puts a lot of emphasis on partners and pairings. Nothing against those things! I love them, too.
But it was nice to spend a night totally focused on my friends, these people who have been in my life for years now, who have seen me through all my ups and downs and tumultuous coming-of-age eras. My friends are equally important in my life, and I love spending time with them.
As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this weekend, don’t forget to carve out some time for your buddies, too. They also deserve all the love.
More like this:
