Valentine’s Day, as we all know, is a holiday surrounding that special someone in our lives. For young children, Valentine’s Day is about celebrating your friends. Elementary school kids decorate boxes and pass out candy and sweet notes to their classmates, but for adults and teens, it has mostly become a two-person holiday, typically involving a date night with a significant other. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in Valentine’s Day traditions amongst adults and teens to go back to celebrating the friendship aspect of it as well, not just your romantic partner.  

Galentine’s Day was originally coined by Leslie Knope, a character played by actress Amy Poelher on the popular workplace sitcom Parks and Recreation, where she is seen celebrating Valentine’s Day with a group of her girlfriends at a local diner.  Now typically celebrated on February 13 or on actual Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day is an increasingly popular holiday to celebrate female friendships.

This holiday is not only for single people, however. According to Leslie Knope, the pillars of the holiday are leaving their boyfriends and husbands at home, kicking it breakfast style, and ladies celebrating ladies, so anyone can participate regardless of relationship status. 

There are many different ways to celebrate Galentine’s Day, such as going out to your favorite brunch spot with your gal pals, having a movie night or an arts and crafts day, and exchanging gifts, chocolate, and sappy love letters. Senior Aylen Dalke celebrated with her best friends last year by making Valentine’s Day cookies and watching the Valentine’s Day Snoopy special. 

Galentine’s Day is seen all over social media as well, with the #Galentine’sDay having over one million posts. First Lady Michelle Obama was seen on Instagram and Twitter celebrating the holiday, and in the caption of her post, she made a sweet tribute to her female friends.   The official account of Parks and Recreation replied to her post with a GIF of Leslie Knope giving her approval. Part of what makes Galentine’s Day so special is it shows us that a holiday celebrating love doesn’t have to be limited to romantic partners only. 

It is important that we show appreciation for our friends, whether that’s sending them a letter in the mail or inviting them over for a Galentine’s Day celebration, take the time out of your day this month to make your besties feel loved.