5 Reasons to Celebrate “Galentine’s Day” Even If You’re In A Romantic Relationship

In the grand scheme of things, “Galentine’s Day” is a very new phenomenon. It was from a 2010 episode of Parks and Recreation and I honestly have never seen it. BUT, I love the idea. During my single years, Valentine’s Day SUCKED. I hated that from high school years on, girls who were in relationships would get all kinds of extra attention and reminders of their sweet, sweet loves and I, who until only a few years ago, was ALWAYS single on Valentine’s Day, would be acutely reminded of oh-how single I was.

In fact, one year that I thought was going to be a good one, I got passive-aggressively dumped. On Valentine’s Day. It was not fun.

Fast forward to now, my Valentine and I are doing just swimmingly but I will never forget how painful 2/14 used to be. Whether they were in relationships at the time or not, my girlfriends were, in many ways, my first loves and I love that I can show that each year.

Whether it be a small girls’ night that you throw or a package and/or Valentine that you send, I encourage you to love on your friends this Galentine’s Day and here’s why.

The girls were there first.

My earliest memories from grade school involved jump ropes, hopscotch, hair bows, my Brownie troop and “cold pyramids,” which was apparently just an us thing because the definition is no where on the Internet.. Anyway, that’s all to say that the girls were in my life (and likely yours too!) first. One of my best friends in the world was from those years and is probably the first person I would call in a crisis.

Your friends aren’t all in relationships.

Like I said before, being single on Valentine’s Day sucks. No matter how fine your single friends may seem to be, there will likely be some post on social media or an annoying gushing friend that will, if even for a second, send a twinge of remorse. Giving them some reason to hate Valentine’s Day a little bit less is nothing but being a good pal.

Having strong female friendships is healthy.

I don’t understand women who don’t prioritize their girlfriends. Yes, seasons of life change and friendships shift. I have friends who have been mamas since they were in their early 20s. Just because we might as well live on separate planets when it comes to what fills our days, that does not mean that I value their friendships any less than my single and free as bird friends. My girls are my rock. Whether they be in Texas, Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio or Virginia (yes, that is where my closest friends live), I know that I can call them any time of night if need be. THAT, friends, is something worth being very thankful for.

Because they have so much dirt on you and this is a hush present.

That time that you got caught TP’ing a house in high school? The shrine you had for your grade school crush on the door of your closet? How about that time that you over-imbibed in college and barfed all over your friend who proceeded to not speak for you for a month? Yeah. Your girls know that, and it’s worth shutting them up for it in case you ever run for office.

The girls (like all of us) need reminders that they’re loved.

When is the last time you told your girls that you love them? For some of my friends, it’s every time we hang up the phone. For others, it’s certainly less frequent. We all have moments in which we feel inadequate, sad, unloved and alone and it’s nice to be reminded that we are loved! Take this opportunity to tell your girls that you love them. We all need to hear it sometimes!

HAPPY GALENTINE’S DAY!!!