What is Galentine’s Day? Plus the best Galentine’s Day gifts and splurges

By Lily Rose

January 24, 2023 / 3:29 PM
/ Essentials

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No Valentine? No problem. If you’re looking for a reason to celebrate female friendship (or just friendship in general) and shower a gal pal with gifts and candy, mark your calendars. Galentine’s Day 2023 is Feb. 13.

Never heard of Galentine’s Day? It’s about to become your new favorite holiday.

Apple AirPods Pro 2, $239 (reduced from $249)

Ugg Tasman slippers, $100

Casper Snoozewear blanket robe, $169

What is Galentine’s Day?

Forget romantic love. In 2022, the term “Galentine’s Day” was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It’s defined as “a holiday observed on Feb. 13th as a time to celebrate friendships especially among women.”

The holiday’s origin has been credited to Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, from the TV series “Parks and Recreation.” In a Season 2 episode, Knope explains that on the day, “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!”

Similarly to Valentine’s Day, it’s customary to give your Galentine’s gifts. We’ve rounded up some of the best Galentine’s Day gift ideas below. We’ve found something for everyone on your list — no matter their gender.

The best Galentine’s Day gift ideas

We’ve found the best gifts you can give your gals (and guys) this Galentine’s Day. Shop our selection of gift ideas that suit a variety of budgets and interests.

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Your Galentine deserves an Apple AirPods upgrade.

The latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds offer 30 hours of listening time with the included charging case. They have an upgraded wireless chip for improved audio functionality, a new low distortion driver for clearer audio and improved active noise cancellation. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 provide truly custom sound: You can use your iPhone’s camera to analyze your unique ear anatomy and find the perfect audio settings for you.

The design of the AirPods Pro 2 is fairly similar to the previous generation, but Apple has introduced touch control to the AirPods Pro 2 to help users more seamlessly control their AirPods. Users will also get a new extra-small tip with their AirPods. The case did get a notable design upgrade with a new lanyard loop and a built-in speaker to help track the location of your AirPods case.

Apple AirPods Pro 2, $239 (reduced from $249)

Ugg Tasman slippers

Gift your Galentine the hottest slippers of the season. Ugg’s Tasman slippers were sold out for much of the holiday season. These must-have slippers are back in stock just in time for Galentine’s Day. Plus, they come in a bunch of fun colors.

Ugg Tasman slippers, $100

Plant subscription

Roses are overrated. We’ve found the perfect gift for the plant mom (or plant dad!) in your life. Horti offers monthly plant gift subscriptions available in three, six and 12-month plans. The monthly plant gift subscription ships nationwide and shipping costs are included. Is your Galentine new to planting or needs a plant that is safe for pets? You can select plants for the first-time plant parent, pet-friendly plants and choose the color of your plant pot.

Horti plant subscription, starting at $90

Stratia Viral Skincare Egg set

Your skincare-obsessed bestie will have major heart-eyes for this Stratia skincare set. The female-founded skincare brand calls this skincare duo the ultimate barrier-repairing set. It includes Stratia’s Liquid Gold moisturizer and Stratia’s Interface firming and repairing peptide cream.

CBS Essentials senior writer Lily Rose is a fan. “This skincare combo is deeply hydrating but feels nice and light on my skin,” she shared. “This would also make a great gift to a friend who is just getting into skincare.”

Stratia Viral Skincare Egg set, $41 ($52 value)

Starbucks gift card

Want to give the gift of a yummy Starbucks drink — or even grab one for yourself? Grab a Starbucks gift card on Amazon, available in $25 and $50 amounts.

Starbucks gift card (physical), $25 and up

Beautiful by Drew Barrymore touchscreen air fryer

This aesthetically pleasing air fryer would make a great Galentine’s Day present, plus it’s on sale now. This 6-quart air fryer lets you air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate food with little-to-no oil needed. The removable crisping tray and pan are also dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.

You’ll want to hop on this deal quickly, as some of the color options have already sold out.

Beautiful by Drew Barrymore touchscreen air fryer, $69 (reduced from $89)

Oura Ring

Get matching Oura Rings for you and your Galentine. The Oura Ring is a health tracker that looks just like any fashion ring. You can order your ring in silver, gold, rose gold, black or a shade called “stealth,” which looks like matte black.

The wearable is worn on your finger and tracks biometric data to provide personalized insights into how you sleep and your health. When you wear the Oura Ring, it can record your workouts, track your resting heart rate and your heart rate during exercise, tell you your blood oxygen level, predict your menstrual cycle and show you how much good or bad sleep you’re getting throughout the night. When you’re not recording workouts, you can use the Oura app for guided meditations, breath work, sleep sounds or even learn about things like the effects of caffeine on your body, why sleep matters and what your readiness score means.

Oura Ring Gen3 (gold), $499

Ryan Reynolds life-size cardboard cutout

Your bestie deserves the man of their dreams. Now, you can give him to them. Order Ryan Reynolds, Justin Bieber or even Danny DeVito from Amazon, and have their cardboard double at Galentine’s Day.

Ryan Reynolds life-size cardboard cutout, $70

Sips By ‘I Love You More’ tea kit

Give your Galentine everything they’ll need to make a cozy cup of tea.

This Sips By all-inclusive tea kit contains a heart-shaped mug, a heart-shaped tea infuser and your choice of a caffeinated tea, a caffeine-free tea, or both.

Sips By “I Love You More” tea kit, $40

Sips By also offers a Galentine’s Day tea collection set. The set includes four tea flavors and comes with enough tea leaves to make 75 cups of tea.

Sips By Galentine’s Day tea party set, $40 (regularly $57)

Nostalgia My Mini Heart waffle maker

How adorable is this heart-shaped mini waffle maker? This little pink mini kitchen gadget creates heart-shaped waffles that you or your Galentine will love.

The best part is that it’s only $10 at Walmart right now.

Nostalgia My Mini Heart waffle maker, $10

Gift a Scentbird subscription

A Scentbird subscription make a wonderful gift. Here’s how it works: 8 mL bottles are filled with fragrances from brands like Marc Jacobs and Versace. That equals about 140 sprays of perfume. Your loved one can test different scents, one bottle a month, without having to commit to a full bottle. Choose from a 3-month, 6-month or 12-month subscription.

Three Scentbird bottles cost less than one full-size perfume, at $44. And if you gift a 6-month or 12-month subscription, you’ll even receive one or two free fragrances yourself, respectively. Your loved one will receive an email notifying them of your subscription gift.

Gift a Scentbird subscription, $48 and up

Casper Snoozewear blanket robe

Does your Galentine wish they could stay in bed all day? Give them the gift of a wearable duvet. Casper’s Snoozewear blanket robe is as warm and snuggly as your bestie’s favorite bedding, but functional (and fashionable) enough to wear around the house. Plus, it has pockets!

Choose from three colors. Blanket robe runs up to a size large.

Casper Snoozewear blanket robe, $169

On Holiday Pickleball set

Have you and your bestie been talking about getting back on the court? It’s a great time to buy this adorable Pickleball set. This set includes your choice of two paddles, a box of balls and a tour bag.

It’s on sale now.

On Holiday Pickleball set, $136 (regularly $160)

Valentine’s Day gift guides

Getty/Walmart/Oura/The Comfy/Melinda Maria Jewelry

As always, check back to CBS Essentials for more Valentine’s Day gift guides for every special someone in your life. We will continue to bring you the best Valentine’s Day gift ideas and deals through February 14.