Happy ‘Gal’entine’s Day! The day before Valentine’s day is for celebrating the love and friendship between you and your girlfriends. According to Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec, the founder of Galentine’s Day, “It’s only the best day of the year.”
The best way to start the celebration is to decorate. Target has an amazing selection of ‘Gal’entine’s Day decor, from cute love balloons to ‘Gal’entine’s Day banners, at very affordable prices. The decorations are perfect for dorm rooms, houses or apartments.
The next step is to plan the perfect brunch. And where else would you eat brunch at than Turning Point? Enjoying avocado toast, waffles, and coffee with your ladies– nothing else could be better.
After brunch, you and your friends could venture out on a shopping spree at Molly & Zoey. Your whole squad could purchase matching bear coats or cute outfits for a fancy dinner. ‘Gal’entine’s Day is all about you and your friends, so “treat yo self!” Shopping really stirs up your appetite, so after you each get your outfits you could walk down to Playa Bowls and enjoy a bowl or smoothie on the beach if it is not too cold.
Those stylish ensembles you purchased are perfect for a gal’s night out. You and your ladies could have a fancy dinner at a restaurant on the beach, like McLoone’s or Tommy’s Tavern and Tap. The slightly cheaper route could be a sushi restaurant where you share a variety of rolls.
Paula Echeverria, a sophomore criminal justice student, said, “My idea of a great ‘Gal’entine’s Day would be going to a new and fun restaurant with friends.” After eating, you must take fabulous girl squad pictures of all of you in your new outfits to post on Instagram with a clever ‘Gal’entine’s Day caption.
After going out to eat, checking out a sporting event could be perfect. Alexis Nulle, a specialist professor of communication, said that she and her best friend celebrated the holiday by going to a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden and enjoying a dinner at Clyde Frazier’s restaurant afterward.
To finish the night off, have a slumber party with all your girls just like when you were younger. The decorations in your room or house will be perfect to set the ‘Gal’entine’s mood. While you are at Target buying ‘Gal’entine’s decorations, you could also pick up matching pajamas for you and your girls.
Nothing is better than wearing cute red and pink heart pajamas and being close with your friends. The matching pj’s are another perfect squad picture for Instagram.
And what’s a slumber party without a romantic comedy marathon? You and your girls must watch all of the classics: Clueless, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 10 Things I Hate About You, 13 Going on 30, Mean Girls, She’s the Man and many more. These are the movies that will make you cry, laugh, and bring you and your friends closer together.
The perfect addition to your rom-com marathon is food. Heart-shaped foods go perfectly with the ‘Gal’entine’s Day theme.
At Scala’s, you can pre-order a heart-shaped plain pizza for $10. And for after pizza, of course you need Valentine’s Day themed desserts. You and your friends could purchase Pillsbury ready to bake sugar cookies with hearts or get in touch with the baker in you and purchase sugar cookie dough, heart-shaped cookie cutters, icing, and Valentine’s sprinkles for a cookie decorating party. For those who live in dorms, already baked sugar cookies would also work for cookie decorating.
Chick flicks and lots of food equals a perfect night. Ashley Mapelli, a sophomore art and education student, said, “I would celebrate Galentine’s Day by binge-watching romantic chick flicks and ordering in with my closest friends.”
An at-home spa day is also perfect for slumber parties. When you’re at Target, you could also pick up face masks; a pack of six is $9.99, and just one is $1.99. You and your gals could put on facemasks and take cute selfies.
While your face masks dry, you could give each other at home manicures and pedicures, so don’t forget the red and pink nail polish. It’s all about pampering yourselves and relaxing with your gals.
And of course, end the celebration of ‘Gal’entine’s Day by having a karaoke and dance party. Nothing is better than being crazy with your friends and jamming out to some Hannah Montana. Especially to “True Friend,” the ultimate ‘Gal’entine’s Day anthem.
‘Gal’entine’s Day is all about sharing the love with your friends and deepening your friendships. Let’s leave Feb. 14 to the couples and go.
PHOTO TAKEN by Jenna Puglisi
