Today is Galentine’s Day. The day before Valentine’s Day made perhaps even better than Valentine’s Day thanks to Leslie Know and her brilliant tradition.
I am so grateful for all the fierce, kind, funny, smart, simply amazing female friends I have in my life. In the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to reunite with some of these lovely ladies that I don’t see as much as I would like. (This is a definite perk of weddings) and I was lucky enough last month to spend some quality time with some fellow mamas who I get to see fairly regularly but in short bursts and often while trying to wrangle our littles.

And from these reunions and the MOPS retreat… I have a few things to suggest if you want to celebrate the Galentines in your life. So here are my top 5 Galentine’s Gift suggestions:

The results of a MOPS retreat… We had the greatest time just being together, drinking wine, and enjoying a change of scenery!

5. Wine/Chocolate/Treats that fit their dietary restrictions: Valentines don’t get to corner the market on yummy food and drink. A bottle of bubbly can me romance… or it can mean mimosas. And odds are good you might be better at finding the perfect gluten free dairy free egg free everything free dessert that still tastes and looks delicious than a romantic partner ever could!
4. A pampering splurge she’d never buy herself. Maybe it’s something as simple as a bath bomb or a coffee not made at home. Maybe it’s a subscription to Ipsy for your makeup maven or an all natural, eco-friendly face mask for your friend whose skin is sensitive to ALL THE THINGS, maybe it’s just a nice coiled phone charger so she doesn’t have to keep replacing hers every two weeks- the great thing about celebrating non-romantic love is that you can get the unsexiest splurges and they will be UBER appreciated.

One of the funniest gifts I’ve received is this picture printed and framed- from a random game night that made me laugh SO HARD

3. A calback to an inside joke or something unique to your friendship:  Personalized gifts are so often my favorite. For one group of friends this meant wine glasses with the word “nope” etched into it because that is our common group reaction to so many shenanigans in life. Perhaps it is a callback to a favorite TV show you watch together, a weird nickname, an unlikely adventure, or even a quirk of theirs that drove you crazy at first that you have come to love. Maybe it’s even a throwback Best Friends necklace (some of those are FANCY these days… did you know if you look hard enough you can get personalized FIVE PART best friend necklaces?!) The point is, the possibilities are endless and can be as simple or as over the top as you want. If you REALLY want to get all Leslie Knope about this, you could even make a friendship scrapbook…
2. Words of Affirmation: Because Galentines doesn’t have to be a commercial charade, the same way Valentine’s doesn’t have to be. Your gift doesn’t have to cost a thing. It can be a text message reminding them they are awesome or why you love them. Or maybe it only costs postage with a super sweet postcard. (I got one of those the other day and it meant the world to me! And it included a drawing of me running my race so bonus joy!) As women, we are constantly being told by the world and by advertisers all the things that are wrong with us, we can ALL use some affirmation!
1. YOUR PRESENCE. I know it sounds hokey but the saying presence is the best present is just SO TRUE. AND it is one of the most valuable things we can share given how BUSY everyone’s lives seem to be. If you can set aside some time for a heart to heart with one of your besties- be it over the phone or in person- DO IT. If you can’t do that sometime this week, then give them the gift of making plans for a future date and sticking to them! The emotional support and refreshment you’ll get from it can power you through the tough stuff for days.

HAPPY GALENTINES DAY!