As NBC’s Parks and Recreation enters its final season, we must prepare ourselves to say goodbye to Amy Poehler’s lovable character, Leslie Knope: an overachieving government ingénue-slash-powerhouse known for her optimism and attention to detail. And what better way to honor councilwoman Knope than to celebrate Galentine’s Day this year?
![Galentine's Day Toast, 2014; courtesy NBC](http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/Galentines-Day-Toast.jpg)
“What’s Galentine’s Day?” Knope asks in Season 2, Episode 16, “It’s only the best time 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.”
The importance of breakfast foods, especially waffles, is a recurring theme in Parks and Rec, and no Galentine’s Day would be complete without brunch. Depending on your tastes and budget, diner, potluck or artisanal brunches will all suffice as long as there are large quantities of butter and/or syrup involved.
And while you’re overdoing it with food, go ahead and present outlandishly thoughtful gifts that call your sanity into question. To get on Knope’s level, you’ll need to top “a bouquet of hand-crocheted flower pens, a mosaic portrait of each of [your friends], made from the crushed bottles of [her] favorite diet soda, and a personalized 5,000 word essay of why [they] are all so awesome.”
![Heather Perry, Galentine's Day Card, 2015; courtesy DrunkGirlDesigns](http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/Heather-Perry.jpg)
And for long-distance gal pals, a handmade or digital Galentine is a must. There are handmade Galetines available on Etsy, like this one by Heather Perry available for purchase here. And googling ‘Galentine’ provides different images you can post prominently on social media.