Grab Your Gals: People Prefer to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Friends
With Valentine’s Day approaching, people are making plans to celebrate—but not necessarily with their romantic partners. The findings of a recent study suggest that the majority of Americans plan to spend the day celebrating with friends, rather than a spouse or significant other. OnePoll and Zulily conducted a survey of 2,000 Americans and found that 59% of people plan to skip the romantic dinner for two and do something with friends instead.
With the rising popularity of ‘Galentine’s Day,’ we’re not surprised to learn that people are using Valentine’s Day to show their friends some extra love. First coined by the character Leslie Knope on an episode of Parks and Recreation back in 2010, the holiday dedicated to celebrating your girlfriends and making them feel loved and appreciated. And although the episode aired a decade ago, it’s only become more popular in the last ten years: Searches for Galentine’s Day are up 300% over the last six years, according to Google.
SolStock/Getty Images
Galentine’s Day is typically celebrated on February 13th (so couples can still plan a romantic date night on the 14th) but the survey indicates that people are moving away from the back-to-back holidays and just celebrating with friends on the original holiday. Of those surveyed, 56% said they look at Valentine’s Day as a way to show love and appreciation to the people they care about—and we couldn’t agree more.
If you’re planning a Galentine’s Day celebration, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite ways to show some extra appreciation to your leading ladies.
Bake Heart-Shaped Treats
Whip up a batch of Valentine’s Day desserts for your besties to let you know how ‘sweet’ you think they are. We suggest making heart-shaped treats and individually wrapping them in clear cellophane bags so they’re easy to hand out or leave on a friend's doorstep as a sweet surprise. Be sure to pair each one with a personal note about how much your friend means to you!
Send Valentines
Whether you’re the type to buy a funny card or make your own cards, this holiday is the perfect excuse to send snail mail to all your friends. Our free printable valentines can help you get started on your own personalized Galentine's Day cards.
Send Flowers
We typically associate flower deliveries with Valentine's Day and a significant other, but you don’t have to be romantically involved to send someone a bouquet. Surprise your bestie with a Galentine's Day arrangement of her favorite flowers. We’ve rounded up our favorite Valentine’s Day flower deliveries to help you choose the right one for her.
Give Small Gifts
If you’re able to spend a few dollars on your galentines, consider buying gifts for your closest friends. Make your own gifts, or splurge on a few candles from Bath & Body Works’ latest Valentine's Day collection. Don’t forget to treat yourself with a gift, while you’re at it!
We hope these ideas inspire you to throw a Galentine’s Day celebration this year. In the wise words of Leslie Knope, “It’s wonderful, and it should be a national holiday.”
