Do you dread Valentine’s Day?
For those who would sooner undergo a root canal than face a day filled with obligatory coupling and ostracization of single people, the first two weeks of February can be a slow march accompanied by the da-DUM da-DUM Jaws soundtrack.
But let’s not get too depressed!
There are ways to make the ooey-gooey holiday more bearable for the lovelorn or for those who just don’t enjoy the pressure to please that comes with Valentine’s Day.
Here are five ways to survive VD.
Celebrate Galentine’s Day Instead
“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year!”
Seriously, if you haven’t seen Parks and Recreation, I give you leave to go binge watch it immediately.
If you have, you know that Galentine’s Day is February 13th; a holiday created by P&R character Leslie Knope in order to celebrate the friendships with the women in her life. It starts as a simple breakfast with gifts and every year gets more extravagant.
Here are some ideas offered in the spirit of Leslie and Galentine’s Day.
Throw an Anti-Valentine’s Day Party
The perfect excuse to eat, drink and dance the pain night away with black heart decorations and sugar cookies with messages that read go away, nope, celibacy rules, you stink, eff off, etc.
It can actually be a lot of fun. Party with your people! Hit up Pinterest for ideas and get a group of friends together beforehand to help decorate – perhaps combine Galentine’s Day with Anti-Valentine’s Day for extra entertainment!
Pssst! Don’t forget to hang a heart-shaped piñata and go crazy!
Go to Dinner with Your Single Friends
If you aren’t feeling Galentine’s or a house party, but still want to be with your friends, why not sit down and share a meal with them? Enjoy an evening of conversation and laughter with those you really love.
One caveat: stay away from fine dining establishments, which are sure to be full of dinners for two, lots of couples and possibly proposals.
Take Your Kids or a Friend’s Kids Out
Go see that movie you secretly want to see! Play laser tag, spend a couple hours at an arcade, jump on trampolines, paint pottery, build a bear, get ice cream sundaes, go to the zoo or aquarium, or even go nuts and check out a monster truck rally.
Kids are a great excuse to go out and do fun things!
As an added bonus, by the end of the night you’ll be exhausted and way too tired to think about s-e-x.
Do Not Do Any of the Following:
Go on a first date.
Get set up on a blind date.
Contact anyone on Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Match, etc.
Decide it’s a good day to get a haircut.
Watch romantic comedies or any movie based on a book by Nicholas Sparks.
(In lieu of rom-coms, how about a horror movie? Perhaps it’s a good day for an Aliens marathon.)
Most importantly, do not under any circumstances get wasted and drunk dial your ex.
Okay! Ready to face the day?
Hopefully Valentine’s Day won’t seem so awful now. But if it does, I have one final surefire way to get you through it…
Wine.
Cheers!
Thank you for the inspiration. I hosted a Galentine’s Day event for my friends with Wine and food (mostly desserts). It was a success and made many women happy. Now it will be on the annual fun calendar.