Every year, as Feb. 14 approaches, couples get excited, planning dates and asking people to be their Valentine. If you are not in a relationship, though, the big day, filled with red, white, and pink decorations, makes you feel like you’re being choked by love. The constant reminder of your relationship status does not feel great, making single people around the world dread this special day. But in this new day and age, maybe being single isn’t too bad. As a society, we have accepted that not everyone is in a romantic relationship, leading to the rise of a new trend that includes all the single people: Galentine’s. It shows that being single on Valentine’s Day may be a good thing and something to celebrate.
The celebration of Galentine’s has become more popular throughout the years, and is a great way to celebrate all types of relationships, more importantly, friendships. Additionally, it ensures no one feels alone on Valentine’s Day. A post on the health resource blog Healthy Set Go highlights the importance of friendships: “Some studies have shown that loneliness and social isolation are even more harmful to your health than cigarette smoking.” This echoes how important the friendships we have are to us, but also to our health, emphasizing the importance of Galentine’s and celebrating the love in friendships, while ensuring no one spends the holiday alone.
Friendships are one of the most essential things in our lives. Throughout our lives, there are ups and downs, good days and bad days, but through it all, there are people, your friends, who stand by you. Having good, healthy friendships is something that should be celebrated and something we need to cherish. Having a Galentine’s does just that; having a Galentine’s celebration is a time that supports and celebrates all the special connections we have made throughout our lives.
Senior Samaria Gonzalez shared her take on the importance of celebrating friendships on this day and not just your romantic relationship. “There are so many different people who love you, like your parents, your friends, your family,” she said. “And I feel like sometimes that gets forgotten about, and people just focus on solely finding a romantic partner for life. I feel like it’s important to cherish, celebrate, and acknowledge the fact that you have multiple people who love you, even if you haven’t found a partner or a significant other.” In all, the celebration of Galentine’s is important as it reminds us to appreciate and celebrate friendships and all kinds of love, not just romantic love.
There are many ways to have a Galentine’s celebration. One way that my friends and I celebrate is by getting together at someone’s house, sharing food, fun drinks, and doing a fun craft, which may include painting, baking a sweet treat, watching a rom-com, or playing fun board games. However, this is not the only way to celebrate Galentine’s. You could make cards with thoughtful messages inside to hand out to your friends and loved ones, make friendship bracelets to handout, or bake a dessert to share with others. No matter what you do or how you choose to celebrate Galentine’s, you can’t go wrong. The most important thing through it all is to ensure that your loved ones and friends know how much you care for them.
So who cares if you didn’t get struck by Cupid this year? Spend this Valentine’s Day with your friends, and make it a Galentine’s Day.
