Leslie Knope’s Favorite Holiday Is Something We Should All Celebrate!
Original post by Bustle
It’s possible that mystery filled chocolates and romantic candlelit dinners with your significant other are totally your thing, but if you’ve ever found yourself dreaming about a holiday that solely celebrates you and the love you have for your girlfriends, Galentine’s Day is something you should have marked on your calendar. What is Galentine’s Day, you ask? It’s a legit question — especially if you don’t watch Parks and Recreation, where it finds its origins — but if you aren’t observing this fictional holiday, you are missing out. As Leslie Knope once said, it’s only the best day of the year. And, well, she’s right.
Still confused? You beautiful tropical fish, let me explain. Galentine’s Day is a holiday Amy Poehler’s Parks and Rec character Leslie Knope created that occurs every year on Feb. 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. As Leslie herself explains on the show:
“Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”
Basically, it’s like Valentine’s Day, only instead of celebrating the love you have for your significant other, you spend it with your best girlfriends, who are, after all, your soul mates, and therefore deserve a holiday all to themselves, too. Leslie chooses to observe the day of lady love with brunch (her other true love), but you can kick it back lady-style however you want. Since the episode aired in 2010, it’s become just as big a deal as its Valentine’s Day counterpart. Ovaries before brovaries, you know?
Looking for a few last-minute ways to celebrate? Here are some ideas:
1. Eat Waffles
Or frittatas — just make sure that at some point during the day, you and your best friends are downing copious amount of breakfast foods in the name of #squadgoals. It’s what Leslie would want.
2. Exchange A Few Galentine’s Day Gifts
For Galentine’s Day, Leslie gifted each of her besties with hand-crocheted flower pens, a mosaic portrait she made for each of them, and a 5,000-word essay she wrote for every person explaining why she loves them so much. Not feeling quite so ambitious? I hear you — check out these Galentine’s Day gifts for your best friend instead, including waffle-shaped friendship necklaces, inspiring feminist reads, and more.
3. Throw A Party
Any excuse to get together with your favorite people on a Saturday, right? The best part about Galentine’s Day is that friendship is the theme of the day, so as long as you have your BFFs around you, you’re doing it right. Throw an official Galentine’s Day party with mimosas and a Parks and Rec marathon, or try recreating the first “friendship date” you and your best friend ever went on. This is seriously the easiest holiday to celebrate, so don’t let it pass you by.
4. Take A Trip
You don’t have to hop on the next flight to Miami (omgggggg how good does that sound), but a Galentine’s Day trip with your best friends is a pretty great way to spend the day. Go for a drive, hit up the town next to yours, or check out a new hiking trail. The day’s a great day to get adventurous. Or, if that feels too last-minute, plan a trip for later this year. Summer will be here before we know it, and the open road calls.
5. Volunteer
Spread the Galentine’s Day love to women everywhere. Check out VolunteerMatch.org to see where you and your friends can be most useful this weekend, and then spend the day giving back to your community. Not only are you lending a hand to other women, it’s a great way to bond with your besties (and you can still always hit up a diner for waffles, after).
*Still looking for a few more ways to celebrate Galentine’s Day? Grab your best ladies and Dabble! We have tons of experiences in Chicago and Denver to make the ultimate ladies’ night!