By Riley Corboy
Move over, Valentine’s Day, because February 13 is here to steal your thunder. Why? Because February 13 is Galentine’s Day – a day to gather your best female friends and celebrate how amazing they are. It’s like Valentine’s Day’s cooler, less needy older sister. To throw an incredible Galentine’s day, you need the following ingredients:
- A few of your kickass female friends. On Galentine’s Day, the guest list is all about quality over quantity. Imagine all your favorite girls getting together in one room: who’s there? If you have 30 wonderful women in your life, invite them all! But if you only have three ride-or-die babes you want to invite, you’re also all set! The only real rule is no boys allowed (and I think we can all survive a few hours without the men in our lives).
- A potluck brunch spread. Let’s be honest, we’re all broke college students and probably don’t have the money to splurge at a really nice brunch spot, so turn your apartment into a kitschy hotspot by having each guest bring a breakfast item. If you provide the waffles and bloody Mary’s, one friend could bring mimosas, another could bring bagels and lox, and so on. This way the financial burden is smaller on everyone and there will be a wide range of goodies to choose from!
- Flowers/decorations. You don’t need to go crazy or spend a lot of money, but decorations are a nice way to get into the holiday spirit. Pick up some cheap crepe streamers or a few bouquets of flowers (Bonus: when your friends are leaving, you can give them each a flower as a parting gift). Put the roses on hold for a day and instead opt for daisies, sunflowers, lilies or whatever other flowers brighten your soul.
- A good vibes playlist. Whether you want mellow acoustics or Beyoncé belting out girl power lyrics in the background, choose music that makes you feel happy. There are many different platforms for free music – Spotify has some curated playlists like “Your Favorite Coffeehouse” and “Morning Acoustic” to set the mood if you don’t want to make your own.
- A Secret Cupid. This step, if you want to take it, requires a little advance planning but can be the best part. It’s basically the Secret Santa of Valentine’s Day and can be a good way to ensure everyone goes home with a little gift. You could set up the name assignments ahead of time or have everyone bring something and draw names out of a hat once they arrive. Either way, it’s a good idea to set a price limit so that no one feels pressured to spend too much.
- Send your friends home with a sweet surprise. This is just a cute way to cap off the festivities! If you’re handy in the kitchen, bake your famous snickerdoodles the night before and send everyone home with cookies. If you’re less culinary inclined, write each of your friends a heartfelt letter about why you love them and how happy you are to have them in your life. It’s never a bad idea to remind people you love them, and what better day than Galentine’s Day?
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*Image Sources:
The Spread 