Today might be Valentine’s Day, but what we’re truly celebrating today is the unsung hero of February: Galentine’s day. Although technically, it is celebrated on Feb. 13, nothing says true love like spending the day with your best friends.
Maleena Muzio and Noa Climor came up with some recommendations for the best way to spend your Galentine’s Day. From fun activities to food, they have it all!
Noa Climor:
I see Galentine’s Day as a way of showing appreciation for your closest friends. Is there a better way to do that than on the holiday of love? Personally, I will be spending today in classes and then on a call with some friends while we work on our D&D campaign.
I recommend putting together a list of your favorite things to do with your friends and spending the day doing exactly that although I know it’s a school day. That might complicate things, but it’s also a Friday! Which hopefully means time to relax and have a little bit of fun.
To start, maybe getting breakfast or a coffee together. I am not on the Storrs campus, so I do lack in the recommendations department for locations there, but what I can say is that no matter where you go, it’s important to take the time to appreciate the people you are going with. True friends are hard to come by.
If you are not too busy with classes and other academic activities, I do think a fun walk with friends will help brighten your day. Perhaps you can make a shared playlist and listen together! Sharing things you love, such as music, can bring you closer to your friends and maybe even broaden your taste in music. There could be an artist out there that you have yet to discover that will change your life.
But if you are busy with classes and have exams to cram for, maybe the best way to motivate yourself is a study session with friends. Make Valentine’s (or anti-Valentine’s) themed foods, decorations and get to work! Taking breaks is important, of course, and what better way to do that than with your pals!
A Galentine’s Day party, as Maleena is suggesting, is a lovely way to wrap the day up. Who says you have to go on a date? Society? Pshh. I say: Throw the best party ever with your friends and throw romance out the window (that part is a joke, but don’t hesitate to throw a Galentine’s rager or even host a chill get together).
Making food together, playing games and catching up are some ways to demonstrate that you care. I think that quality time on a day like today matters most, and it’s less about doing something fancy and more about finding what brings you and your friends joy. If you’d prefer to chill out and watch a movie or two, that’s more than okay.
I think that in the end, happiness is different for everyone. If none of these suggestions suit you, that’s totally okay! Only you know what makes your friends and you happy, the point of this article is to offer some ideas to get the ball rollin, but take this any way you’d like. What’s important is that you have fun and feel the love!
And make sure to take care of yourself. I know that many people feel pressured to be in a relationship, especially today, but I promise you that there’s nothing wrong with you if that is not the case. You are important to everyone, and spending the day with the people that care about you? That’s the best way for love to shine through.
Maleena Muzio:
If you want to have a good time with friends this February, or you are eternally single, throwing a Galentine’s Day celebration might be perfect for you. Even though the holiday is typically organized by groups of women, anyone can participate. Think of it as a sort of “Friends-giving,” but instead of eating food with your friends because you are thankful for them, you are celebrating a holiday about romantic love with your friends because you are alone — just kidding (or not)!
Whether or not you were planning on attending a Galentine’s Day celebration this year, hopefully this list of exciting activities will inspire you to get together with some friends over the weekend, even if you already have bae to spend the day with. Keep the hearts (and mental health) of your single friends in mind and come together to have a night free of stress and full of fun.
Personally, my girlfriends and I are getting together to throw the ultimate party Friday night. Although Galentine’s can be celebrated all day, everything is more fun at night. To set the mood (yes, I am aware of how this sounds) start by putting on a Valentine’s Day themed playlist. Send your friends an invite on Spotify to collaborate on a group playlist full of your favorite love songs — no matter how sweet or how outrageous they might be — to play in the background of the event.
Bring food! Homemade sweets, store bought cookies or takeout meals, anything works! Nothing has to be that elaborate, ordering pizza will do. If you are looking for something more creative though, try baking. Perhaps even the famous, “Hear me out” cake; when a group of people bakes a cake and sticks images of their most questionable crushes as toppers on the cake (usually celebrities or fictional characters).
Games can also be played to bring many laughs to a Galentine’s party. Original card games, such as “spoons” and “BS” work great with large groups and can be played for a while. “Cards Against Humanity” or “For the Girls” can also be great. However, creating your own games can be just as fun too.
Playing your own version of “Guess Who” or “Headbands” but with people you have been involved with or have had a crush on will keep the group enthusiastically entertained. Another original idea is writing anonymous and ridiculous love letters, putting them in a hat and then having to guess who from the group wrote each letter.
Do not be shy to show your appreciation for your friends on this holiday. Put some effort into the party. Bring decorations: balloons, banners, lights and candles (unless you live in a dorm, obviously).
It is amazing how adding a little pink and red to the room can improve the atmosphere. Alongside that, consider bringing gifts for your friends! You would be surprised at how much somebody will appreciate a couple of chocolates, flowers or homemade cards. I plan to make each of my friends a card with their celebrity crushes and wildly inappropriate phrases on them. But if your friend group is a little more normal… I am sure a store-bought card will do.
Although Valentine’s Day is primarily focused on romantic relationships, do not forget that it can also be a day to have fun with the friends you love most. Why not create your own version of the holiday? Feel free to follow any of these suggestions or do your own thing. Just remember, love can be expressed in different ways, and if that means showing up to your friends’ dorm with a Luigi Mangione cardboard cutout, then go for it!