From House Beautiful
Galentine’s Day—the unofficial February 13 celebration of female friends popularized by Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation—falls on a Saturday this year, so it’d be wrong to not spend the occasion connecting with your closest friends. As with everything over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s safest to do it digitally. From choosing a dress code to coordinating the menu, here’s how to host an epic virtual celebration that’ll spotlight the love you have for your lady friends.
Send out invites.
Remember ecards? You can still send those through sites like Paperless Post and even Hallmark! If you want to keep it simple, send a Google Calendar invite with a clever message. Whatever method you choose, make sure to include all of the details, so no one’s left wondering what’ll be on the agenda.
Pick your platform.
There’s truly no shortage of digital platforms to video call on. FaceTime is a solid choice if you don’t want to worry about a time limit and are only planning to have a few people on the call. Then there’s Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams, which all allow you to change your background—meaning you can make yours an on-theme image of hearts, flowers, or Leslie Knope!
Set a dress code.
Whether it’s strictly monochrome sweatsuits or you want to get all dolled up, let everyone know what the vibe is clothing-wise. That way, you’ll all feel connected—even if you’re miles apart.
Have brunch, cocktail hour, dinner, or make a whole day of it.
Figure out what time of the day you want to celebrate. Brunch is the classic, no-fail option. You can also have a fun cocktail hour or plan a virtual dinner party. If you want to really go all out, you can connect for all of those throughout the day.
Cook a meal or order takeout/delivery.
No virtual party is complete without food. Make the experience feel cohesive by having everyone prepare the same meal or order similar food from local restaurants. Brunch is great for whipping up cinnamon rolls, avocado toast, bacon, mimosas—you name it! For dinner, if you don’t all live in the same area, you can pick a theme like Italian or Chinese food and have everyone order from their favorite local spot. Of course, any of these options can involve at-home cocktail-making, too!
Play trivia.
In between chatting and eating, you’ll need entertainment. Make a trivia game of your own or find a fun one to play online. There are so many other games you can virtually play, too, including Heads Up! on Houseparty, Cards Against Humanity, and Monopoly. You can even go the easier route and play verbal games that require no tech-savvy skills, like Never Have I Ever, Charades, or Would You Rather.
Watch a rom-com on Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party).
Yes, you can all watch the same movie from different locations! All you have to do is download the Teleparty extension for Google Chrome, and you’ll be able to synchronize video playback and have a group chat feature on streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO.
Make hilarious PowerPoint presentations.
Some people—especially on TikTok—have really gotten into the trend of making PowerPoint presentations about topics that typically don’t call for them. Whether you do it about your past romantic relationships or dive into pop culture debates (are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?), it’s sure to keep everyone entertained.
End on a sweet note.
If you want to get sentimental, create a Snap Cup à la Legally Blonde—but make it virtual. Use Google Forms to create an anonymous survey with an open response question for people to submit “warm fuzzies,” aka notes acknowledging good qualities about each other. The person who makes the form can then read all of the responses once they’re in. Revel in how much you appreciate each other!
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