Celebrating friendship

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Not everyone has – or even wants – a romantic partner to share Valentine’s day with. With the full moon and all the good feelings around this time of the year, the remaining weekends in February are ideal for arranging a celebration of the friendships that mean so much to you. 

Many single friends spend Valentine’s day together instead of dating a stranger. If a friendship is new, though, it might be wise to avoid the 14th, unless you both understand what your date is for, or if you are not averse to the situation going further than friendship. 

Choosing dates that are close to Valentine’s day, but not on it, make it clear that your celebration is not about a lack of someone special to share Valentine’s day with. The other benefits, of course, are venues that are not booked out with couples and charging double for cocktails and desserts. 

Creative ideas for celebrating friendships

Have a moon howl – 

This Valentine’s day falls on a full moon, so grab your friends for a moonlight picnic. Try to invite someone who can bring a telescope. Don’t forget torches, and (if you’re in the northern hemisphere, especially) warm clothes.

Arrange an artists’ retreat – 

Got a spare weekend? Why not book a cabin in the country? Haul up your easel and brushes, laptop and notebooks, cameras, or musical instruments, and tap into your collective creative muse. Look for accommodation that is charged per cabin rather than per person and split the costs among as many friends as possible for a pocket-friendly get-away. 

Artists’ day or hour – 

Meet up with a friend and collaborate on a fun project, such as making half a garden gnome each out of clay, writing alternative paragraphs of a story, or painting different halves of the same scene. 

Continuous dinner – 

Everyone on the list chips in with a dish and round of drinks as you move from house to house. Or stretch it out and make it a weekly get-together. 

Favourite movie night – 

Grab a movie you all know so well you can recite the dialogue. After a drink or two, you’ll be doing just that. 

Games night – 

Games like Charades, Pictionary, Cluedo, and even Truth or Dare, can be hilarious played by a bunch of good friends who don’t mind being silly in front of each other. Get even more creative and combine and reinvent the games you have.

copyright © Elsa Neal 2006 (Please contact the for permission to reprint this article.)

 
Give a sterling silver friendship bangle, or make your own friendship bracelets with a handy and fun Friendship Wheel, both from Amazon.com.

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