You’re dreading Valentine’s Day this year for one or a variety of reasons:
The man you’ve been dating (or your husband) is giving off signals that his interest in waning.
You just got dumped via text by a self-centered loser whom you treated like a king for the past [insert your number] years and that joker didn’t even have the decency to break it off with you in person.
You’ve been in a relationship dry spell and recently decided to take a step back from the frustrating and risky dating pool to regain your inner zen.
Or you enjoy flying solo and can’t be bothered with the February 14th hoopla that comes with dramatic floral arrangement and chocolate deliveries. By that I mean hearing soft gasps of delight from love-struck recipients when the roses arrive, or dealing with the fluttery ooh and ahhs of insincere work colleagues watching with catty eyes from the wings.
Makes you see red everywhere you look, right?
What do you do? Plan your own bangin’ LITuation! As in, a Galentine’s Day treat or weekend event with your best gal pals to commemorate the joys of female friendship. For those of you unfamiliar with this February 13th pre-Valentine’s Day celebration, it seemingly stemmed from a 2010 episode of the television show Parks and Recreation.
So, here are 5 things (other than a spa weekend) you can do to ring in this year’s Galentine’s Day.
Plan a leisurely lunch
Take the afternoon off and gather all your BFFs together for a beverage-infused lunch filled with food, laughter and fond memories. Bring out the funny stories of silly faux pas, trifling dates, the kids’ noteworthy antics and family drama that will zap all the stress away.
Choose outdoor adventure
Whether your besties are into hiking, biking, boating, paddling, canoeing, camping, white river rafting or something else, find a common theme and book yourselves an action-packed outdoor adventure somewhere. Multiple studies show that spending time in nature is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and happiness.
Attend Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour
Jumpstart the new decade by attending Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour to get your life in focus. It’s an all-day wellness event designed to give us the mindset we need to thrive in a life that’s more balanced – regardless of the odds we face. She, along with other celebrity guests, are out to show that contentment is not about our track record of success, how we look, our public-facing deeds, socio-economic backgrounds or our political associations. Rather, it involves learning how to motivate from within and taking care of ourselves. Catch her this month on Feb 8 at the Barclay’s Center in Brookyln, New York or on Feb 15 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Wine all your cares away
Depending on where you’re from, you can take that to mean a self-indulgent Girls Trip for Galentine’s Day to places like Napa Valley or South Africa, where you can visit wineries and wonderfully, quaint towns. OR you can interpret wine to mean making an appearance at a music concert or marching arm in arm to a non-stop dance party where you can shake your waistline or booty in abandon. If you lean towards the latter, Trinidad’s annual carnival, from February 24 to 25, is one such option.
Take a fun cooking class
Whether you do this at home or abroad, taking a fun cooking class is a great way to experience local markets, learn more about cultures and different culinary techniques, and have meaningful interactions. Don’t know where to start looking? This article from Travel Channel will give you some ideas for places that host cooking classes within the US. If you have travel on your mind, foodie destinations like Peru, New Orleans, Italy and Cartagena are great places to consider.
Do you have any cool ideas for Galentine’s Day you’d like to share? Please drop them in the comment section below.
I love all of these suggestions! I actually have a trip planned to New Zealand for this Valentine’s Day so any stress in trying to make something happen is gone. Next year, I’ll definitely have to look into doing a cooking class if I don’t have another trip planned!
Great, let me know how it goes!