You can think of Palentine's Day as the gender-neutral alternative to Galentine's. Simply put, it's a day of celebrating platonic friendships of any kind. Falling on the same day as Galentine's, Palentine's Day is celebrated on February 13th.
Before you start celebrating romance or go out and buy yourself a well-deserved box of chocolates, plan a Palentine's celebration with one or all of your good friends. Spend a little time honoring the friendships that make life fun.
Make Friendship the Focus
Palentine's Day is all about friendship so the first step in celebrating is to focus on those platonic relationships that give you life. Before Valentine's Day arrives on the 14th, spend the 13th focusing on the friendships that matter most to you.
You might intentionally skip any sappy love movies, opt out of the traditional Valentine's Day cards, and choose not to focus on the usual colors and symbols of the holiday. You don't have to have an anti-Valentine's Day view — unless that's your vibe, of course. The main point is that you save all the romance for the day after your Palentine's celebration.
Part of having this perspective may involve a focus on your current celebration instead of chatting about the Valentine's plans you have the next day.
Make a Plan for Long Distance Friends
Celebrating Palentine's Day is a bit more complicated when your best friends live far away. But a little planning ahead could solve your distance dilemma. Try getting ahead of the game and treat your far-away friends as a reminder of how much they mean to you.
- Send a friendship or Valetine's Day card in the mail the week before Palentine's Day.
- Send a voice memo, video, or text on the morning of Palentine's Day.
- Ship your favorite movie centered on friendship with a note explaining how it applies to you and your friend.
- Have their favorite takeout delivered.
- Plan a Zoom call and share lunch or dinner together.
- Surprise them by showing up for the weekend to catch up.
Give Your Bestie Some One-on-One Time
The love between best friends is worth celebrating every day, but Palentine's is a great opportunity to show your bestie how much you appreciate them. Buy them flowers, arrange a fun activity for the two of you, and spend some quality time together celebrating your years of friendship.
If you're childhood besties, go do some of the things you always said you would when you grew up. Recreate some of your favorite memories or plan a weekend getaway to reconnect in the middle of a busy life. Whatever you decide to do, the point is to give your best pal some one-on-one time.
Have a Party for All Your Pals
We'll take any excuse to host a party with our favorite people. A Palentine's party offers a fun way to celebrate without the pressure of bringing a romantic interest to the event.
Invite your pals for an evening of eating, watching movies, or playing games. You could go fancy with a black tie dinner party and all the best Valentine's cocktails or keep it casual and cozy with your closest friends. No one will be worried about their Valentine's plans when they have a Palentine's party to look forward to.
Bake Some Goodies for Your Platonic Pals
Forget the conversation hearts and boxes of chocolate. Make Palentine's Day all about the homemade goodies you know your friends love. Make decadent chocolate treats, share a batch of red velvet cinnamon rolls, or try your hand at homemade candy bars.
If you want to enjoy even more pre-Valentine goodies, host a gathering of friends and invite everyone to bring their own homemade desserts to swap or share.
Host an Old-Fashioned Card Exchange
Remember the Valentine's Day card exchange in elementary school? Just a bunch of kiddos sharing "you rock" on Scooby-Doo Valentines, and it was glorious.
Bring back the old-school tradition and celebrate Palentine's with some serious nostalgia. Invite your pals to lunch and encourage everyone to bring a valentine, preferably with cartoon characters, to share with each attendee. You'll have a good laugh, and no one will be left out of the fun.
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Give Back Together
Palentine's Day is all about friendship, which means it reinforces the idea of doing life together with the people that make life worth doing. If you're looking for a unique and productive way to celebrate with your pals, try giving back to your community together.
- Hand out flowers or stuffed animals at nursing homes or hospitals.
- Clean up your streets together.
- Write and send notes of kindness to active and veteran military service members, nurses, or other community heroes.
- Spread some puppy love at your local animal shelter.
- Tag team the babysitting duties for all your friends with kids so they can go out and celebrate.
- Create care packages to hand out to unhoused people in your community.
Related: Valentine's Day Flowers: Perfect Picks for Every Relationship
Pal Around Before V-Day
Celebrating romantic love can be so special, but we're glad there's a movement to celebrate the other people in our lives who fill our days with platonic love. Palentine's Day can be as casual or serious as you like. As long as you're celebrating the friends who bring joy to your life, you can't go wrong with your Palentine's plans.
