February 14th marks the holiday of love, Valentine’s Day. It is a day to celebrate all things love! Although I have never spent Valentine’s day with a significant other, I have always enjoyed the holiday. I especially love the relatively new idea of Galentine’s day, a day to celebrate friendships.
There are so many different types of love, from romantic to paternal and everything in between. Valentine’s Day is so much more than just celebrating romantic love, which is why I love the holiday so much. No need to be sad and single, I promise! You can find love all around if you, just take a moment to look.
For me, Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day are all wrapped up into one celebration. Whether I am celebrating on February 13 or February 14, I am spending time with those that I love and that’s all that matters.
Also, if there is one thing I will do, it’s celebrate. Any chance I get, I will find a reason to make the day special. It has to do with my goal to romanticize my life. I believe that it is always a good time to make your life a little more fun. Why not inject a little serotonin into your week at every chance you get?
So having a holiday like Valentine’s day, or Galentine’s day, is the perfect excuse to do a little decorating, get some yummy food, and spend time with the people that make me the happiest. Keep reading to see some fun Galentine’s Day party theme ideas to make this day extra special for you and your friends!
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What is Galentine’s Day?
Galentine’s Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the friendships in your life. It is traditionally celebrated on February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. While Galentine’s day originally started with a focus on friendships between women, it has evolved to include platonic relationships of all genders.
A gender-neutral term for Galentine’s Day would be Palentine’s Day, which I absolutely love. The word “pal” should be a bigger part of our everyday language, it’s so fun!
Galentine’s day, or Palentine’s Day, is a day to let your friends know that you love them, and that you appreciate them. Sometimes we forget that friendships are one of the most important relationships we can have. With society’s focus on romance, it is easy to prioritize those relationships. However, friends tend to be here long before romantic partners, and they stay long after.
As someone who has not experienced romantic love, I will always prioritize platonic love. These are the people I go to most when I am down, and they are the ones I love spending all of my social time with. I always like to challenge others to prioritize these relationships as well and fight the norm that we have to put romantic love before anything else.
All this is to say, that Galentine’s Day is of utmost priority for me come February!
If you want to learn more about this holiday, check out this article on National today for more information on the history of Galentine’s day, including the origin of the word on the sitcom, Parks & Recreation.
How do People Celebrate Galentine’s Day?
There is no wrong way to celebrate a day like Galentine’s Day. A simple text of appreciation is plenty to let others know that you care. But if you are like me, and want to go big, here are some common ways people celebrate the holiday.
- Party! Invite all your pals over and have a celebration full of food, games, and more.
- Gifts! It can be big or small, but a token of your appreciation and love can go a long way, especially if your friend’s love language is gifts (like me).
- Brunch! Another common way to celebrate Galentine’s Day is with a brunch full of french toast and mimosas.
- Go on an adventure! Check out a local museum, or visit a park, anything to get out and spend time with the people you love.
Galentine’s Day Gift Ideas
If you do decide to get a small gift for your friends as a show of gratitude, here are some adorable ideas. Galentine’s Day gifts can be small, simple, and easy. Nothing to stress over!
- A Handwritten note! You don’t even need to spend any money, just write your besties a note letting them know how much they mean to you.
- Flowers and chocolates! Go classic Valentine’s Day with a bouquet and some sweets.
- Candle!
- Fuzzy socks!
- Self-care package!
- Gift cards! Get them a gift certificate to their favorite coffee shop or Amazon.
- Bath bombs! Just make sure your friend actually enjoys baths first, I have far too many of these sitting under my sink as someone who hates baths.
- Jewelry! Something small and simple is always a nice gift! You can even get personalized jewelry for each of your friends, like this initial gold necklace from Amazon.
- Cute Wine Glass! Even if some of your friends put mocktails in them, they make for an adorable gift that you can use during your Galentine’s Day celebration.
- Houseplant! I am a plant nerd, so this would be the best gift ever, but if your friends don’t exactly have a green thumb, check out these houseplants that are easy to care for!
- Something personal! I can’t give this one to you, but get your friends something that reminds you of them. Something only they would understand.
Galentine’s Party Theme Ideas
So, you have decided to celebrate Galentine’s Day, have you? With a party full of your friends, pals, and besties. What theme should you choose? There are so many, here are a few of my favorites!
1. Classic Valentine’s Theme
I’m talking hearts, pink, red, the full nine yards. Everything you can find in the Valentine’s section of your local Target. Although Galentine’s Day is a separate holiday from Valentine’s Day, I am absolutely obsessed with the aesthetic of the holiday, and would definitely choose this as my party theme. All the pinks and hearts are right up my alley. This would also be the easiest as Valentine’s Day decor is in any store you walk into, and online!
You can even find full kits on Amazon for relatively cheap, like the one pictured above! Click here to see this and many others on Amazon! Or type in “Valentine’s Day Party Decor” and you will find hundreds of options.
2. Self-Care
If there is one thing I will always love, it’s self-care. Cozy robes, mani-pedis, lavender essential oils, and more. Why not treat your friends to a self-care day? Let all your pal’s problems and stressors fade away while you all focus on taking care of yourself, and making yourself feel good.
As a gift, you can get each of your friends a little self-care kit, or create one yourself with fuzzy socks and a candle with their favorite scent. If you like the one shown above, click here to see it on Amazon!
Don’t forget to remind all your besties to come in their coziest pajamas and fuzziest robes! A uniform is required for this Galentine’s Day party theme.
3. Picnic Party
Although this theme would be perfect if you had a park nearby, that is definitely not necessary to have an adorable picnic-themed Galentine’s Day party. Put out a picnic blanket on the living room floor, grab a picnic basket, like this one from Amazon, and fill it with all the finger sandwiches and snacks you can think of!
4. Tea Party
I have always wanted to have a tea party. Ever since I was a little girl it was a dream of mine to eat little finger foods and sip from beautiful tea cups while wearing a gorgeous summer dress! What a dream!
You can see if there are any cafés or restaurants around you that offer tea parties, or you can create one yourself! Get an adorable tea set, like this one from Amazon, and some adorable tea cakes, and give your party guests the tea party of their dreams!
Don’t forget to tell your guests the dress code if you want everyone to match your floral decor, perfect for a tea party!
5. Game Night
I am the kind of person who prefers to spend my nights at home, where it’s calm and quiet. And maybe a little competitive! I am a huge fan of game nights. Any excuse and I am pulling out my favorite games and reading the rules! Crack out all of those board games that are sitting in the back of your closet and have some fun!
If you want to get a little more personal with your game night, check out the various games on the market that were created to get to know the people you are playing with. One of my favorites is “We’re Not Really Strangers,” which is full of questions that are both surface-level and deep. It is a great game to use if you want to get to know your friends better. Click here to check out “We’re Not Really Strangers” on Amazon!
6. Movie Night
Who doesn’t like a movie night? Tell all your friends to show up wearing their best pajamas and to bring their favorite movie. Deck your place out in movie-themed decorations and spend the whole night watching everyone’s favorite movies! Or maybe just a few, depending on how many party guests are invited. The party might go on for days if you try to watch everyone’s favorite movie!
You can find a decoration set like the one above on Amazon by clicking here! It’s a little cheesy but I am all for embracing the cheese. The cheesier the better! Get some popcorn buckets and have the coziest night in!
7. Group Photo Shoot
If there is one thing about me and my friends, it’s that we definitely do not have enough pictures together. I think this is a pretty universal truth. I spend so much time with my friends, but we aren’t worried about capturing those moments, we are more focused on living in the moment and enjoying each other’s company.
But I also want pictures of my besties! As much as I hate taking photos of myself, there is something to be said about having pictures with those you love. You can post them on social media, frame them and keep them in your home, whatever you want.
You can do something easy like adding a cute little photo booth full of fun props like these ones on Amazon! At the end of the night, you will have thousands of fun, silly photos of your friends that you will cherish for a lifetime.
Or, if you want something a little more elegant, you can go all out and have everyone show up in matching outfits, and take professional photos in a gorgeous garden, park, or nature reserve near you! These will look better for the mantel, but they may be a little more expensive. If everyone agrees, everyone can chip in for the photographer fee, and you will walk away with some gorgeous photos while still having fun.
8. Candle-Making Party
Maybe it’s just because I am obsessed with candles, but this sounds like a fantastic way to spend Galentine’s Day. You can get a little crafty, spend quality time with your friends, and everyone gets to walk away with a little something at the end of the night.
You can find full kits, like this one on Amazon, or pop by your local craft stores and find all of the supplies individually.
There are so many fun essential oil options for scents, everyone can create something that is individually unique.
This is one of my favorite Galentine’s Day party theme ideas, not that I need to add any more candles to my collection!
Whatever Galentine’s Day party theme you decide on, it is bound to be perfect as long as you are spending it with people that you love!
Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and Palentine’s Day! Enjoy surrounding yourself with love, there is nothing more important.
