“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.” -Leslie Knope

I’m sure you all know what I’m describing (either because you bow down to Leslie Knope like I do, or because you read the headline of this article): GALENTINE’S DAY. A day for you to shower the gals in your life with the love, chocolate, and praise that they deserve every day of the year. And whether you have a significant other in your life to ditch to hang out with your gal pals, or your gal pals ARE your collective significant other, it’s important to bring your A-game. Gif source

I decided to compile a nice little list of gifts that you can give to the special ladies in your life, BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT. Galentine's Day Leslie Knope-style consists of needlepoint pillows with her friends’ faces on them, crocheted flower pen bouquets, gift certificates for facials, mosaic portraits of her friends made out of crushed bottles of their favorite soda, and, of course, a 5,000 word essay of why they’re awesome. And hey, if you think that was all the gift-inspo you need, feel free to stop reading now. But if for some reason you don’t know how to hand-crochet a flower pen, please continue reading.

1. Facial kits

Taking a page out of the Knope Galentine’s Day Guide here, because this is a really good idea. You could buy each lady her own certificate, or buy a group session for you to all get facials together…….but who has the cash for that?! Give each lady a little gift set, like this one from REN Skincare (which is on sale now), and then have a girls’ night where you can all put them on together! After all, the two best gifts are skincare and a girls’ night.

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2. Slippers/fuzzy socks

On the topic of self-care, why not give your gal pals the gift of comfort? I’ve never met a person who wouldn’t appreciate a nice pair of slippers, or fuzzy socks even if they already have some. I’m digging Typo’s collection of fluffy novelty slippers (especially these donut ones)- get every member of your squad a different pair to fit their personality...or favorite food. And you can get some nice fuzzy socks for under $5. Either way, you can’t fail.

3. Bath bombs

Alright, full disclosure, I’ve never used one of these things. I don’t understand them. But my sister is practically the queen of them, and it seems like every other Snapchat story I see is of a bath bomb fizzling away, so they must be pretty great. If you’re doing a little gift bag for your Galentines, adding some bath luxury can’t hurt.

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4. Candles

My mom is a teacher, and every Christmas she would get, like, 17 candles from different students, and she would be like “ughhh another candle…”, and I never understood it. I’ve actually considered going into teaching SOLELY for the abundance of gifted candles. I digress. Basically, what I’m saying is that a beautifully scented candle is always a safe bet! And obviouslyyyyyy, Urban Outfitters is the go-to candle metropolis (especially with your extra 10% off through UNiDAYS so you can buy each gal her own special scent!).

5. Matching glasses

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can be #basic too. And yes, I will admit that I do find matching glassware adorable. If your Galentines happen to be your roomies, or you regularly drink out of cups together otherwise, getting a set of glasses is a great way for you to show how much you “complete” each other. And this way, even when your #fit friend isn’t around, her presence will still be there, silently urging you to stay hydrated.

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6. CHOCOLATE

This is pretty obvious, but I know that some people may underestimate the value of chocolate as a present. You can get some beautiful pieces of chocolate (exhibit A below) at a number of places….or you can just get regular old chocolate, because, well, it’s CHOCOLATE and WHO CARES WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. Fill up a cute little baggie with some Hershey’s Kisses, tie a nice little bow on it, and SHAZAM. Just make sure you don’t go tooooo crazy with the chocolate before the 15th...because we can’t forget about National Post-Valentine’s Day Discount Chocolate Day.

7. The gift of FOOD

If a genie were to come to you right now and give you 3 wishes, I’d be willing to bet that at least one of those wishes would be food-related. So give your ladies what you know they want: the gift of food! Maybe they have specific restaurants they’re obsessed with, and you can give them specific gift cards- or maybe they crave something different every day, and you can give them something like a GrubHub eGift card, so they can have whatever they want!

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8. A group fitness class

You’re obbbbbbviously going to eat your weight in chocolate on Valentine’s Day, so why not have fun working it off together? You can get some great discounted rates on group fitness classes (and if you’re into barre you can ALSO get a UNiDAYS discount at Barre3, so round off the self care theme with some endorphins: the ultimate form of self care. Even if you’re all still in #winterbody mode, the experience of a group fitness class will at least make some fun memories for later!

9. Framed photos

Such an obvious one...but such a meaningful one! Making a little collage of photos of you with each friend, or even just framing your favorite pic of you with each friend, is such a heartfelt way to show your Galentines how much you love them. It’s like a cute gift you’d get for your significant other on Valentine’s Day…..but you don’t have to worry about throwing out the photo of your girlfriends when they break your heart (because they won’t!).

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8. Pillows

Taking another page out of the Knope Book of Galentine’s Day here-- although you do NOT need to needlepoint your friends’ faces onto them. Cute little pillows can act almost like a friendship bracelet, without being tacky or saying “BFF” on them. Each member has her own, and even when you’re apart, you have a little piece of each other (yeah sorry I’m in a sappy mood right now, idk).

11. A Leslie Knope-ispired letter

No matter what you get for the special ladies in your life, or even if you can’t afford to buy anything, the most important thing you can give them is the knowledge of how loved they are. Writing a sweet note (even if it’s under 5,000 words- sorry Leslie!) gives your friends something sweet to look back on to remember what life was like during this snapshot in time. Besides, Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day are both about showing those you love how much you love them-- and there’s no better way to say “I love you” than to SAY “I love you” using actual words!

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