Active AgingSeasonal Celebrations
February is the season of love and appreciation, so why not celebrate your friendships this season with Galentine’s Day and Palentine’s Day! This holiday can be a celebrated compliment to Valentine’s Day, or it can act as a replacement for singles and those who are just tired of the over-commercialized push to purchase trinkets and crowded, expensive dinners.
What is Galentine’s/Palentine’s Day?
Galentine’s and Palentine’s Day are like Valentine’s Day, except instead of celebrating love with your significant other, you spend the day enjoying and appreciating the bond you have with your closest and best friends. We can all probably agree that we don’t celebrate our friends enough for all that they do, so why not switch up the script and make the most out of all your relationships this year?
Origin
Originating from a 2010 episode of the popular television show, Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day was created as an annual event to celebrate friendships on the day before Valentine’s Day. What began as a fictional event soon gained traction with real-life women and has only risen in popularity since. Many businesses like Target and Sprinkles Cupcakes have jumped on the bandwagon and offered “Galentine’s Day” specials or acknowledged the micro-holiday though promotional materials. The celebration of Palentine’s Day has since been created as a male alternative. This holiday recognizes how important friendships are to our everyday lives and embraces the non-romantic celebration of love, loyalty and support.
Whether you’re a Valentine’s Day lover or hater, there’s never a bad time to show your love and appreciation. Take this opportunity and celebrate your relationships on your own terms with these 6 Galentine’s & Palentine’s Day celebration tips!
6 Ways to Celebrate Galentine’s & Palentine’s Day
Host a Bruncheon
In honor of the Galentine’s/Palentine’s Day founder Leslie Knope, treat your friends to a delicious meal to show them you care. This easy-to-follow Spinach Mushroom FetaFrittata recipe from Love Grows Wild is sure to woo any brunch lover!
“Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.” – Leslie Knope
Have a Movie Night
Nothing pulls at your heart strings like a good movie about friendship. Gather all your gals and pals to watch and discuss one of these classic films. Check out some of our favorite movies about friendship:
- Thelma & Louise
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Breakfast Club
- Stand By Me
- First Wives Club
- Beaches
- A Little Princess
Make a Craft Together
Spend some time together while expressing your creativity. Sit down with your friend to paint and decorate a picture frame using a variety of materials. When finished, place a photo of you and your friend inside to remind yourself to be appreciative of your relationship daily.
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Share the Love
Send someone you care about a handwritten letter to show you are thinking of them. Everyone enjoys receiving mail, especially if it’s a personal sentiment from someone they love. Send them flowers from a local floral delivery service to further the surprise.
Sip on a Sweet Treat
These sweet Cupid Floats only require three ingredients and will satisfy any sweet tooth. For something a little stronger, mix in an ounce of UV Cake Vodka with your cherry 7-up.
INGREDIENTS:
- vanilla ice cream
- cherry soda, such as Cherry 7-Up
- red licorice
DIRECTIONS:
- Add a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream to a drinking cup or mug.
- Fill the cup with cherry soda.
- Cut the ends off of 1 strand of red licorice, then place into the cup to use as a straw.
- Drink and enjoy!
Play a Friendly Game
Put a friendly twist on the popular Newlywed game and challenge your friends to see who knows the other best.Newlywed Game Rules (Friends Edition)
“Directions: Divide people up into couples, but not husband-wife — friend-friend pairs. Each pair writes a list of questions to ask the others: What’s your favorite breakfast cereal? What would your ideal vacation entail? Would you rather be beautiful or rich? Each team asks the other couples the list of questions, and one member of each couple writes down what they think their partner would say. Then, go around the circle and compare answers, awarding points for matches.
Tip: Not sure if an answer is a match? Take a vote.”
No matter what you choose to celebrate this season, always remember to show those you care about how important they are to you.
