A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend where they confessed they had never celebrated Valentine’s Day before. When I, appalled, interrupted and asked why, they answered: “I have never been in a relationship during the holiday, therefore I thought there was no reason to celebrate it.” The gasp I gasped. The yell I yelled. You have no idea. I went down a spiral and thought about how many people all over the world think the same thing and choose not to celebrate it just because they don’t have a partner. Sadly, I don’t have any statistics that can help us measure just how many people have this mentality. However, it is important to highlight that feeling alone is never an option during Valentine’s Day.
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Celebrating non-romantic relationships is essential during this day. The Pacifican said it best, it’s time to “reclaim Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate all different kinds of love, not just romantic.” And what better way to spend it than with your go-to pals and gals?
For those of you who are currently shaking your heads in confusion, Galentine’s Day, explained better by Cosmopolitan, “is the friendship version of V-Day–a day all about celebrating the platonic love between the women and non-binary people (and friends of all genders, really) in your life.” It is usually celebrated on February 13th, a day before Valentine’s Day. However, some decide to screw the system and celebrate it the same day–that person would be me (and my gals)!
Galentine’s Day is an excellent occasion to get together, go to brunch, have a glass of wine and appreciate each other. Be there for each other. Although partners are the main attraction, friendships have an equally strong significance and bond. Friendship, in itself, is love. It’s calling each other at 3 AM to gossip about failing situationships and corny looks. It’s laughing instead of crying for the 69 you got as a grade because you needed just one more point to pass the class. It’s coordinating a crying session each week to blow off some steam. It’s going out to commemorate all the good and bad times that linked you together in the first place.
Instead of choosing to spend the day alone watching The Notebook or Pride and Prejudice and listening to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” (10 minute version, ofc), choose to have a watch party with a side of karaoke to spice things up. Gather in unison to celebrate the most unique and humble type of love there is… friendship.
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