7 Galentine's Day Traditions To Start With Your BFFs Now & Continue Forever
Let's be honest: Nothing seems to top celebrating your lady friends on Feb. 13. For those of you who don't know, Galentine's Day was founded by Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation, who loves spending time with her girl crew and going out to brunch. She used the day as an excuse to eat waffles, give her besties handmade pillows, and consume lots of whipped cream. Now, it's your turn to start your own Galentine's Day traditions with your friends, and continue them forever.
The truth is, life gets busier and busier. One week you schedule is jam-packed with projects at work, kick-boxing classes, and lunch dates. The next week, your besties are running around to meetings and catching subways left and right, too. Together, you basically invented the hashtag #girlboss, so it's sort of inevitable.
That's where Galentine's Day and making new traditions comes in. It gives you the opportunity to slow down and spend time with the people who constantly inspire you and push you to be the best version of yourself. It gives you time to laugh over a plate of waffles, or the embarrassing stories from high school that will never get old. Doesn't that sound sweet? I'd say so! So, here's seven traditions you can start with your friends now, and continue forever.
01Eat Waffles At Your Favorite Brunch Spot
First things first: Take a few notes out of Leslie Knope's Galentine's Day playbook, and start a tradition with your friends that includes breakfast food. You and your besties likely already have a favorite diner or spot to grab brunch on the weekends. So, simply make it a point to meet there every year, to catch up on life and the latest additions to the menu.
While you're laughing and swapping stories, be sure to order some fries, French toast, or bacon and eggs. Just make sure whipped cream and cute captions for your waffles are involved, too!
02Go Ice Skating And Then Grab Hot Chocolate
Galentine's Day falls during the chilliest season of the year. So, it's only right that you get festive and start a tradition that's in-tune with the winter weather. That's where ice skating comes in, followed by grabbing a cup of hot chocolate at the nearest coffee shop (that's also totally Instagram-worthy).
Sure, you could plan a ski trip to one of the best resorts in the country, or go on a road trip to the mountains. But, you and your besties may not have time or space in your schedules for that. Throwing on a pair of blades and sipping something sweet is much more practical and easily just as fun.
03Spend An Afternoon Pampering Yourselves
You don't necessarily need another excuse to take a bubble bath. But, you don't mind lighting a few candles and pampering yourself in the name of Galentine's Day. This might be the most relaxing and refreshing tradition to start with your friends right now, and will be well-worth holding onto forever. (I mean, facials are always a good idea, right?)
Start by scoping out some local places to get massages or pedicures, or picking up a bunch of lotions for a DIY spa day with your girls. Slice up some cucumbers and put on calm music, and let your worries wash away.
Being with your besties already helps you calm down and enjoy yourself. Add rose petals into the mix, and this experience is unstoppable.
04Do A Gift Swap With Your Entire Friend Group
A gift swap is another super simple and sweet tradition to start for Galentine's Day, because it works no matter where you and your besties are. You could be located on completely different sides of the country, and still be able to celebrate having each other. Sweet!
All you have to do is swap names within your entire friend group, much like you would with a Secret Santa gift exchange. Decide on a price point, and then get to shopping! Once you've gathered the best presents and products for your Galentine, ship it to her address with a homemade card. (For extra points: Open and unwrap what you got over FaceTime or a phone call.)
05Order A Bunch Of Pizza And Watch Rom-Coms
Nobody understands your love for Crazy, Stupid, Love or The Proposal quite like your friends. They were there when you saw those films for the first time, and send you memes and GIFs of your favorite characters and scenes on the reg.
So, on this Galentine's Day and every one to follow, order a bunch of pizzas and watch those rom-coms. Quote the lines that you know, and maybe throw a few new ones into your usual queue. It's going to sound cheesy, but you're always going to look forward to watching The Notebook with your lady friends. Always.
06Film And Edit Your Very Own Vlog
Over the years, you and your friends may have gotten into watching vlogs or following certain YouTubers. You're always up-to-date on what your favorite influencers are doing, and laughing about something one girl's new puppy did or something one guy said. And, you always say one thing, almost in unison: "We should totally start our own channel!"
Truth is, together, you're so funny and do some pretty awesome things. You can imagine carrying around a vlog camera and coming up with the best and most creative #content.
Use Galentine's Day to get things started and film your very own vlog. Edit it with a simple program on your computer, and post it if you and your friends want to. If anything else, it's a great thing to have from year to year so that you can see how you've changed and reminisce on all your memories.
07Plan And Go On A Big Vacation
Last but not least, plan and go on a big vacation with your friends for Galentine's Day — each and every year. Go to the national parks on the West Coast, or take a long flight to somewhere you haven't been to before, like Italy or Thailand. The options are endless, mostly because your bucket list is, too.
If we're being honest, these adventure are always so much better with your friends and you want to make some new memories. You want to have inside jokes from the waterfalls in Iceland, and Polaroid pictures of picturesque views and palm trees. It's totally possible, and probably the best tradition you can start on Galentine's Day and continue forever.
