With the start of February, Valentine’s day is already around the corner. Valentine’s day initially originated as a day to honor the death and burial of Saint Valentine. Now, the day has evolved into a celebration of love all over the world. Although there are many ways to spend this love-filled day, one way to celebrate is by having a Galentine’s Day.
Galentine’s day is a fun twist on Valentine’s Day and is the chance to celebrate cherished friendships by gathering with your friends. Sophomore Mishal Ahmad holds a Galentine’s day celebration every year and shared, “My favorite thing about Galentine’s is just the fact that there is a dedicated day for girls to hang out and have fun together. I like all the pink and red and hearts for Valentines already, so Galentine’s is just an extra treat.”
Here are some fun things to do for this special celebration!
Have a potluck or cook together
Food is essential when it comes to gatherings, and Galentine’s day is a perfect occasion to cook or have a potluck with your gals. Some dishes to cook for Galentine’s day could include heart-shaped pizzas or pasta.
If cooking is not your cup of tea, you can spice up your potluck practices by bringing themed dishes to the party. A few ideas could be bringing a dish that starts with the first letter of your name, making unique charcuterie boards of different foods or eating heart-shaped savories. Ahmad recounted, “Last year, when I held Galentine’s day, I had a cute aesthetic dinner that was potluck and it was fun to see all the different things people brought. We had things like Chick-fil-A, a charcuterie board, a sushi bake board, a candy board, fruit and apple cider.”
Go on a picnic
If staying in is not for you, another fun way to celebrate is by going on a picnic. A few places to enjoy your picnic could be at a park or even in your backyard. Once you’ve found your spot, you can bring your favorite foods, whether it is takeout or homemade. Lastly, add a few decorations such as blankets, pillows, flowers, balloons or whatever sets your atmosphere. A picnic is a perfect way to embrace the outdoors with your gals.
West Ranch freshman Neyla Almeda revealed her ideal Galentine’s day picnic: “I like to bake Galentine’s themed desserts and meet up for a picnic. It’s nice to go outside and enjoy nature while hanging out with friends and celebrating Galentines is an excuse to make it cute and aesthetic.”
Baking and decorating treats
From heart-shaped sweet treats to pink and red delights, there are lots of options to choose your baked goods from. Ahmad described, “Usually we do some sort of activity that’s along the lines of baking or watching a movie. Decorating cupcakes was a fun way to just show our different creativity while enjoying the company of the other girls.”
Here are some dessert ideas to choose from. A few goodies to bake and decorate with your gals can be cookies, cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, mini cakes and cake pops.
Watching movies
After baking and decorating, a good way to relax and enjoy your baked treats is to sit back, get comfy and watch some movies. For this holiday that celebrates love, friendships and relationships, the perfect genres to watch include romance and rom-coms. A few rom-com movies to watch could be “The Notebook,” “500 Days of Summer” or “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
“I’ve always loved watching movies with my friends, so this year I’m planning on making the theme Valentine’s day colored pajamas so we can get comfy while watching a bunch of rom-coms,” Ahmad explained.
Painting
Another activity to express your different styles and creativity while enjoying each other’s company is painting. You can make matching paintings, floral-themed paintings, stylish heart designs or whatever you feel brings out your artistic side. Painting can be a fun and calming activity to do while listening to music and chatting with your girls.
Almeda added another activity to her picnic: painting. “There was just something different about painting outside. I’ve always loved observing nature around me and using it as an inspiration for artworks.”
Jewelry making
Whether in the form of a beaded bracelet or colorful strings twisted into different patterns, friendship bracelets have been a classic childhood way to display friendship. A take on the fun childhood tradition is jewelry making. Gathering different types of chains, beads and charms of different styles allows people to show their individual tastes while also having a meaningful accessory to keep forever.
Ahmad commented, “I got inspiration to make jewelry from my sister who has her own jewelry small business, and I’ve always liked the idea of making something that we can all keep and look back on so I thought I would try it out.”
Hanging out with friends is something that can happen anytime, but having a day dedicated to celebrating friendships is an excuse to make those hangouts special. Cats, if you are planning to have a Galentine’s celebration of your own, try some of these fun activities to make the significant day memorable.
