By Brianne Spinelli
 
Brianne Spinelli is an “Auntie by Relation” (ABR) to Julia, Alexis, and Lucas, as well as Godmother to Alexis. Connect with her on Twitter at @freetobebree or here on SavvyAuntie.com, member name: AuntBree.
 
First and foremost, let me start off by wishing all the Aunties out there a very Happy Galentine’s Day!
 
What is Galentine’s Day, you ask? As Leslie Knope, Amy Poehler’s character from the popular NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, who created the holiday explains, “Oh, it’s only the best day of the year! Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies: it’s like Lilith Fair minus the angst…plus frittatas!”
 
In other words, it is a day to show appreciation for the ladies you love in your life: moms, sisters, grandmas, girlfriends, and especially nieces and fellow Aunties! It is particularly beneficial for single women who may feel excluded from the Valentine’s Day hoopla due to a lack of romantic love in their lives. Galentine’s Day provides the perfect opportunity to express appreciation and love for our fellow females.
 
Since the “Galentine’s Day” episode of Parks and Recreation aired three years ago, women have been adopting their own Galentine’s Day traditions. Although Leslie Knope’s Galentine’s Day revelries included a lavish breakfast and handmade gifts comprising mosaic portraits, crocheted flower pens, and personalized 5,000 word essays on the awesomeness of each woman, many choose to stray from Ms. Knope’s original framework. Some variations are celebrating on February 14th instead of the 13th or opting for dinners over brunches.
 
What a fantastic display of girl power! Aunties, especially, can use this newfound holiday as a teaching point for their nieces. At a time when young girls especially feel the pressure to have a “special someone” with whom to share Valentine’s Day, Aunties can emphasize a young woman’s self-worth. For example, singlehood is not something that should be viewed as a sentence but more as a personal choice. Almost nothing is more empowering to a young girl than support regarding a life decision from someone she holds in high regard. An invitation to Galentine’s Day festivities will not only provide a distraction from the would-be Valentine’s Day blues but will show precious nieces how it is possible for a woman to lead a fulfilling single life.
 
Because Galentine’s Day is an invented holiday, the sky’s the limit as far as ways to revel in the merriment. Ladies may choose to express their fondness for their girlfriends through a simple card or ecard, while others might decide to go all-out and throw a massive shindig or outing that runs the gamut from pampering to partying. At the very least, Aunties can use this opportunity to introduce their nieces to one of the most fun guilty pleasures of the woman world: bargain shopping. (Valentine’s Day candy tends to go on sale for about half-price or more as of February 15th!)

Photo: marin
Published: February 12, 2013