Happy Valentine’s Eve, everyone! (No, that isn’t a thing, but leave it to me to try and make it one…) I hope you’ve been enjoying my recent New Orleans travel guides. It was such a great trip, and getting to relive it through these posts has been fun for me – and hopefully helpful to those of you planning your own trip there! I still have a few NOLA posts on the horizon, but today I wanted to take a quick break from the travel guides and do a post about Valentine’s – or rather, Galentine’s – Day!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I love Valentine’s Day. (Click here to see some of my past Valentine’s posts!) I know this holiday sometimes gets a bad rap, and I admit, it does have its downsides: flower prices skyrocket, getting a restaurant reservation feels as likely as winning the lottery, and the over-emphasis on romantic love can feel alienating – or downright depressing – to those not in a relationship. Trust me, I’ve been there! But on the flip side… here are some of my favourite reasons to LOVE Valentine’s Day:
- It’s a bright light in the middle of winter. The coldest, darkest and bleakest season is arguably when people need holidays the most, yet it’s when we have the fewest. Valentine’s is a fun excuse to shake things up and celebrate something!
- It’s whimsical. I’m not so much into the serious, romantic side of Valentine’s Day – you know, the hand-written poetry and candlelit dinners and long-stemmed red roses. Those are great, but what I really love is the cutesy, whimsical, slightly goofy side of Valentine’s: the cute kiddie valentine cards, candy necklaces, and heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast.
- Chocolate, candies, cookies, cakes… you know I have a sweet tooth, and Valentine’s Day is an excuse to bake (or buy) all of the delicious, sugary treats. Also, everything tastes better when it’s heart-shaped!
- Not only is everything heart-shaped, it’s pink… and pink is my signature colour.
- It’s a celebration of love: not just with romantic partners, but with your families, friends, parents, kids, pets… and even your Galentines!
This year, I decided to host a Galentine’s Day gathering for a small group of girlfriends. For those unfamiliar with this “holiday”, it originated on an episode of Parks & Recreation (thanks Leslie Knope!) and has since blown up into a phenomenon that may even be more popular than Valentine’s Day itself. While we celebrated a couple of weeks early, the official date of the holiday is February 13, a.k.a. today… so a big happy Galentine’s Day to you all! The concept is about women coming together to celebrate the female friendships in their lives – and what could be more worthy of celebration than that?
I designed the e-vites using this adorable Canva template. Canva is my go-to for cute invitations!
As a kid, one of the things I loved most about Valentine’s Day (beside being allowed to eat copious amounts of chocolate) was exchanging hand-written valentines, so I thought, why not bring the tradition back for the grown-ups? Everyone brought valentines for each other, and it was so cute! I got these fun animal-themed ones from Dollarama.
I filled loot bags with some fun Galentine’s-themed treats: pink heart-shaped sunglasses, Barbie Kinder Surprise eggs, candy bracelets, Lindor and Ghirardelli chocolates, and homemade heart cookies.
I love decorating for any holiday, and Valentine’s Day is no exception! I put out all my usual decor, most of which is from HomeSense and Dollarama. Dollarama especially has some really cute, affordable Valentine’s finds – they’ve definitely upped their game in recent years! The heart-shaped wreath is a Dollarama find…
As is almost everything on the bar cart… except the booze!
The XO blocks are from a Dollarama tic tac toe set – I bought it years ago but I believe they still sell them. I love sprinkling them around the house!
The throw pillow covers are from Amazon – I switch them out every season.
Tania surprised me with these adorable tea towels from T.J. Maxx in Buffalo. Some folks get excited when their S.O. brings home flowers or chocolate… I get excited about tea towels!
I bought a few extra things for Galentine’s Day just to jazz up my usual decor. The glittery banner and hanging heart streamers made for a cute little photo wall!
The banner came with some paper hangers that were meant to dangle from the banner itself, but I decided to hang them on our chandelier instead.
The heart-print tablecloths are also from Amazon – links here and here.
I set up a loop of some retro Valentine’s Day cartoons on our TV. (Our TV stand is from Wayfair for anyone wondering… we absolutely love it!)
These garlands were the perfect touch for over the buffet table. I also printed and framed a little sign I made using this Canva template.
For the food, I wanted simple, appetizer-style finger foods that are easy for grabbing and grazing. I did a big charcuterie board, a veggie-and-dip platter, and ordered a sushi party tray from one of our favourite local places, Ikki Sushi.
Of course, I had to incorporate the Galentine’s theme into the food! I arranged the sushi rolls on a heart-shaped platter…
…and used heart and XO-shaped cookie cutters to slice the cheeses. Salami roses were another fun, on-brand addition! I bought heart-print paper plates, heart-shaped napkins and pink paper cups from Dollarama and Dollar Tree.
I made a pink lemonade punch with this delicious and easy recipe from One Sweet Appetite. I kept the punch non-alcoholic, but had prosecco on the side for anyone who wanted to add a little bubbly!
I set up a little coffee/tea station with these cute vintage mugs I borrowed from Tania’s mom.
Of course, dessert is the main course of any good Galentine’s gathering, and luckily that’s the area I excel in! I made my signature dessert: a pink, heart-shaped strawberry Bundt cake. This is my go-to dessert for any occasion, and it couldn’t be easier, because it starts with a box mix! It just needs some extra ingredients to “zhush” it up – click here for the magic “doctored cake mix” formula from Family Savvy. I’ve been using this hack for years and it’s great, though I do recommend replacing the 3/4 cup water with milk, and using just 1/2 cup of sour cream (I find 1 cup is too much.) I topped it with a simple vanilla glaze (turned pink with a few drops of red food colouring) and heart-shaped sprinkles. This Nordic Ware pan is a bit of an investment, but it’s truly the best piece of bakeware I own – the cakes turn out perfect every time. And it’s not just for Valentine’s Day; I use it all year round! There’s nothing like a heart-shaped cake to make someone’s birthday extra special. (The price on the pan is especially high right now, but keep checking back – I got mine for $50 or $60.)
Sugar cookies are another easy dessert that can be made a couple of days ahead. I use this recipe from Preppy Kitchen: it’s my go-to sugar cookie recipe, and it’s fool-proof! The dough is easy to work with, not crumbly or sticky, and the cookies hold their shape beautifully when baking (just be sure to chill the dough first!) Instead of the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract the recipe calls for, I like to use 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and ½ teaspoon almond extract, which adds a richer flavour.
One of my favourite sweet treats to make for Valentine’s Day is “dessert charcuterie”! I love this because you can really have fun with it and make it your own, and it couldn’t be easier – or prettier. Just grab a big platter or charcuterie board and fill it with your favourite cookies, chocolates, candies, fruits, nuts, pretzels – whatever you feel like! I did a mix of different Valentine’s candies like conversation hearts, gummies and hot lips (Bulk Barn is a gold mine for these!) along with Lindors, Ghirardelli squares, white chocolate pretzels, Lotus Biscoff cookies, chocolate concerto cookies, strawberries, chocolate rosebuds, and mini Hershey bars.
To see more of my Galentine’s Day setup, check out my Instagram reels here and here. However you’re celebrating the holiday – whether you’re hanging out with your Galentines, having a romantic dinner with your S.O., making heart-shaped pancakes for your kids, or just enjoying some well-deserved “me time” – I hope you have an absolutely wonderful Valentine’s Day! Sending all the X’s and O’s!
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