For a single woman, Valentine’s Day sucks. Watching couples celebrate their love for each other leads to a combination of nausea, depression, jealousy and cynicism – not an ideal mix for happiness. So this year, I’m proposing that instead of moping about Valentine’s Day, we celebrate Galentine’s Day.
Over the last few weeks of winter break and the first week of school, I binge watched “Parks and Recreation.” One of my favorite episodes of this hilarious, zany show is the season two episode “Galentine’s Day”. At the beginning of the episode, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the protagonist, introduces the holiday “Galentine’s Day.” Galentine’s Day is the day before Valentine’s Day that celebrates female friendship. On this day, Leslie gathers her female friends for brunch, where they exchange gifts and drink Mimosas.
I realized how perfect it was as I watched Leslie Knope and her friends celebrate this holiday. Galentine’s Day turns a bad time for single women into something to look forward to, although you don’t have to be single to enjoy this holiday.
Last year, without realizing it, I celebrated this holiday with one of my closest friends. On Valentine’s Day, we grabbed dinner at Whisk, and then saw the wonderfully awful romance film “Endless Love.” We ate popcorn until our bellies ached and laughed our way from the movie per se to the chagrin of the other patrons who tried to enjoy their romantic evenings. By spending time with my friends, I turned a traditionally awful day into one of my fondest memories.
So for this weekend, I’m suggesting Galentine’s Day on Friday, or even on Valentine’s Day. Take your friends out to brunch, go shopping, or go see Fifty Shades of Grey and find out why Jamie Dornan’s nickname in the modeling world was “The Golden Torso.”
Don’t brood about being single this Valentine’s Day. Have an amazing day with your friends and celebrate Galentine’s Day.
Rachel Berquist is a junior majoring in English and psychology.
Featured image courtesy Flickr user Alessandro Valli.