--- title: Galentine's Day Isn't Just for Single People description: While it may be tempting to focus solely on Valentine’s Day, celebrating Galentine’s Day is a worthwhile tradition to keep. canonical: https://time.com/7221617/galentines-day-single-people-essay/ author: Myisha Battle article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-02-13T12:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-10T23:41:40.586Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Galentine's Day Isn't Just for Single People og:description: While it may be tempting to focus solely on Valentine’s Day, celebrating Galentine’s Day is a worthwhile tradition to keep. og:url: https://time.com/7221617/galentines-day-single-people-essay/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9f6838f4d639bb/6998b65b1f6709b3cef5487c/GalentinesDay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Galentines Day og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Galentine's Day Isn't Just for Single People twitter:description: While it may be tempting to focus solely on Valentine’s Day, celebrating Galentine’s Day is a worthwhile tradition to keep. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9f6838f4d639bb/6998b65b1f6709b3cef5487c/GalentinesDay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Galentine's Day Isn't Just for Single People > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d50ed03c-758b-41d3-affe-d599026f7d01&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d50ed03c-758b-41d3-affe-d599026f7d01&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=d50ed03c-758b-41d3-affe-d599026f7d01&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d50ed03c-758b-41d3-affe-d599026f7d01&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Myisha Battle](https://time.com/author/myisha-battle/) ## Myisha Battle Battle is a certified clinical sexologist and sex and dating coach, educator, and speaker. Feb 13, 2025 12:00 PM UTC  Illustration by Christina Lee for TIME by [Myisha Battle](https://time.com/author/myisha-battle/) ## Myisha Battle Battle is a certified clinical sexologist and sex and dating coach, educator, and speaker. Feb 13, 2025 12:00 PM UTC As the buildup to Valentine's Day intensifies, you might feel the need to prioritize romantic love above all. But there’s a holiday we shouldn’t forget: [Galentine’s](https://time.com/3709183/valentines-day-galentines/). There aren’t enough holidays that celebrate friendship, one of the most important types of relationships we can have. That’s why Galentine’s Day cannot—and should not— be missed. Originally the creation of _Parks and Recreation_ fictional character Leslie Knope, who is played by Amy Poehler, [Galentine’s Day](https://www.salon.com/2023/02/13/galentines-day/) is meant to acknowledge and uplift female friendships. Symbolically, it’s celebrated on February 13th, the day _before_ Valentine’s Day to show its importance, though it can be celebrated any day really. While it may be tempting to focus solely on Valentine’s Day, especially if you’re in a new relationship, celebrating Galentine’s Day with your friends can be a worthwhile tradition to keep. Even if you’ve been in a relationship for a while, getting together with friends and acknowledging how much you mean to each other is just as important during the season of love. It never has to be one or the other. We can sometimes take our friendships, and how much we put into them, for granted. But repeatedly studies show just how much of a lifeline close friendships are to us. They can even be [more important over a lifespan](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-single/202011/friends-are-more-important-we-realized) than romantic partnerships. Female friendships have the power to [improve every aspect of your life](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36440568/) and even [help you live longer](https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/wholeness/a46751752/sharon-malone-grown-women-talk-excerpt/)—that's worth celebrating! Yes, celebrating our love for our partners on Valentine’s Day is a wonderful thing. But we shouldn’t forget the love we have for the people who were there for us before that relationship started—who will take our calls when we need to vent and might be standing next to us as we take the next steps in life with our romantic partners. In Knope’s version of Galentine’s Day, it doesn’t matter if you are single or partnered; you show up to share appreciation for the unique qualities of female friendship. A Galentine's celebration can be as simple as a dinner out or hosted by a member of the friend group. It can be a happy hour after work or a walk in nature together. You can exchange presents, or simply spend time doing an activity that you both love. It’s the [little things](https://time.com/7216297/voice-notes-love-connection-essay/) that often count most of all. **Read More:** [_Why Voice Notes Are a Small Act of Love_](https://time.com/7216297/voice-notes-love-connection-essay/) Of course, as much as they enrich our lives, female friendships aren’t always easy, and there’s no road map for getting through a challenging time with a friend like there is for romantic relationships. In their book, [_Big Friendship_](https://www.bigfriendship.com/), Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman discuss how difficult it was when they hit a tough patch in their friendship. Sow and Friedman, who had been friends since college and started a successful podcast business together, ended up working with a couple’s therapist. But it took them a while to find someone who was willing and able to work with two friends. It’s not common practice to work through friendship issues together in therapy, but why shouldn’t it be? Friendships are just as important as any other relationships we foster in our lives. If you are anything like Sow and Friedman, you have likely navigated through some emotionally- charged terrain with female friends who you still hold very close to today. You may have been able to talk through it together, give each other space, or enlist another trusted friend to help bring harmony back to the friend group. You may have even sought professional support from a personal therapist, spiritual or religious teacher, or self-help books, podcasts, and social media content. Recognizing the hard work that goes into maintaining supportive, loving female friendships is crucial, especially since, according to a [May 2021 analysis](https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/) from The Survey Center on American Life, Americans are trending toward having fewer and fewer close friends since before the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve got to honor those who have made it this far with us. Our female friends, whether we make them in childhood, early adulthood, or later in life, are often the people we rely on the most consistently over time. They see us through heartbreaks, hookups, situationships, marriages, health scares, pregnancies, abortions, grief, and so much more. They are an extra set of hands when we need help moving or watching our kids. They help us see when we’re repeating unhelpful patterns in our relationships, and they conspire with us on our dreams for our futures. And, if we’re a good friend, we do the same for them. We do all of this without a lot of recognition, outside of birthday celebrations and the occasional “thank you” card or dinner. Galentine’s Day is an opportunity to center everything that makes friendships great. It’s not just about the fact that we have confidants who show up for us in our time of need. It’s that these deep, meaningful, multi-faceted relationships are ones that some of us have managed to maintain longer than any romantic relationship we’ve ever had. And that’s something to be as proud of—and cherish. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7221617/galentines-day-single-people-essay/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7221617/galentines-day-single-people-essay/"},"headline":"Galentine's Day Isn't Just for Single People","datePublished":"2025-02-13T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-10T23:41:40.586Z","description":"While it may be tempting to focus solely on Valentine’s Day, celebrating Galentine’s Day is a worthwhile tradition to keep.","url":"https://time.com/7221617/galentines-day-single-people-essay/","keywords":["Real Love","freelance"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9f6838f4d639bb/6998b65b1f6709b3cef5487c/GalentinesDay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Myisha Battle","jobTitle":"Battle is a certified clinical sexologist and sex and dating coach, educator, and speaker.","url":"https://time.com/author/myisha-battle/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b9f6838f4d639bb/6998b65b1f6709b3cef5487c/GalentinesDay.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Galentines Day","caption":"Galentines Day","creditText":"Illustration by Christina Lee for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/real-love/","name":"Real Love"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7221617/galentines-day-single-people-essay/","name":"Galentine's Day Isn't Just for Single People"}}]}] ```