People have started getting hyped about Galentine’s Day, the unofficial holiday for celebrating girl friendships the day before Valentine’s Day (coined in 2010 by Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation). There are tons of articles all over the Internet this year on why, where, and how best to celebrate Galentine’s Day. I joined the craze, spending Saturday night out at a nice dinner and drinking too much wine with some of my closest girlfriends. It was nice to have an excuse to have a Girl’s Night to celebrate each other. Once we got back home, there were loud (sometimes teary) declarations of love, lots of hugging, and we laughed like crazy and danced like idiots at the parties we went to that night.
However much I love Galentine’s Day and what it stands for, though, I also felt like it didn’t quite hit the mark with me. I love the idea of having a day to spend with girlfriends, but at the same time, I don’t know how I feel about it as a day entirely separate from Valentine’s Day itself. That separation works out great for girls who have significant others and want to spend time both with their friends and with their partners, but for single people it seems like a reminder that they don’t have a significant other. Sure, spending the day before Valentine’s Day entirely with friends is totally an awesome – and completely necessary – idea, but what gets left for singles to do on Valentine’s Day itself?
I spent the actual holiday of Valentine’s Day with my best friend. As we were both single, we decided that nothing would be better than to spend the entire day together, eating junk food, watching movies, and being in our sweatpants – and that’s exactly what we did. Spending Valentine’s Day with your best friend takes off so much of the pressure of spending it with a romantic partner. You don’t have to worry about how you look, or if you’re eating too much pizza or drinking too much wine. You don’t even have to bother to get out of your pajamas, and you still get to spend a day about love with someone you love. My friend and I spent all morning in her bed and, later, drove around aimlessly, cracking jokes and talking about important things going on in our lives, just enjoying each other’s company.
For me, that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about. It isn’t what some of my friends like to call “single awareness day” or anything negative like that, even though I am single right now. It’s a day to celebrate love. It’s my favorite holiday. I love love! I love watching stupid rom coms, especially when I can predict the entire plot and cry anyway, or reading novels or poetry that make me stop and appreciate the world, as cheesy as that sounds. I love listening to a friend gush over a new crush, or see an old couple walking hand in hand. Whether it’s between a couple, friends, or family, love –the ability to love and be loved – is an incredible gift. That’s why it doesn’t matter how or with whom you spend the day, as long as you enjoy yourself, and remember that every day, every moment, can and should be wonderful.
