I used to be an avid Valentine’s Day hater. Anything that had to do with sickening bright pinks and reds, grotesquely mashed together into badly-drawn hearts and cheap chocolate boxes, made me want to hurl. I have now moved past the idea that Valentine’s Day was made for codependent high school couples who would break up in a week, and realize that if done well, Valentine’s Day could be a cute day to spend some time with your significant other.
While the origins of Valentine’s Day are widely debated (some say it originated as a Pagan festival, others say it was a saint who performed secret marriages), it’s now used to send a flood of cards with a box of those chalky conversation hearts attached.
I believe every month of the year should have some sort of holiday attached to it. Need a theme for your erasable calendar on the fridge? March is the time for four leaf clovers and leprechauns with red beards. Phone background? Christmas lights, snowflakes or a menorah is perfect for December. So, back when I hated Valentine’s Day, which holiday would I decorate for February? The obvious answer (and still my favorite): Galentine’s Day.
Galentine’s Day is on February 13th, and has a very clear start, with the airing of episode 16 in season two of the sitcom Parks and Recreation. The lead, Leslie Knope, proclaimed it the best day of the year. A time to leave your husbands and boyfriends at home, to get brunch, and be surrounded by “ladies celebrating ladies.”
Be surrounded by “ladies celebrating ladies.”
This holiday has no set of rules. Whether you want to throw a party with every single person you can possibly think of or keep it small and watch your favorite movie with your closest friends, Galentine’s Day is the perfect day to show all your platonic soulmates how much you care about them. If that means baking cookies or bringing small gifts, this is the perfect opportunity to make yourself and your friends feel special.
Galentine’s Day isn’t the time to mope about being single. Before going on a personal mission to find every paper heart decoration available and rip it in half, step back and think about whether those hearts are for your ex who only took you to the McDonald’s drive through or for your best friends, who took you out for a fancy break-up breakfast. Galentine’s Day doesn’t care whether you’re single, in a long-term relationship, or in that one situationship that’s been on and off for three months. It’s about celebrating the people in your life who have been there with you through it all, the ups, downs, lefts, and rights.
The top producers of happiness is a stable relationship.
Romance has its place. It’s nice to know you have your person. Harvard studies have shown one of the top producers of happiness is a stable relationship. But that relationship doesn’t have to be romantic. If your only person is your significant other, and you put so much focus into that one singular relationship, who knows what will happen if it falls apart? Living your life and being influenced by more than one person will help you find different perspectives, face insecurities and boost your mental health. It’s been shown that sometimes the best romantic relationships come out of platonic ones. Growth comes from the many different types of people around you, and that growth is what will continue with you for the rest of your life.
And what’s as important as having healthy and loving platonic relationships? Showing your friends that you appreciate them. Need an idea? Check out Chloe Popp’s list of Galentine’s Day celebration ideas for this year.
