Galentine's Day Gifts Worth Bringing to Brunch
By the Giftruly editorsUpdated 19 hand-picked ideas
Galentine's Day began as a joke on a sitcom (Parks and Recreation, back in 2010) and turned into a real tradition with surprising speed. On February 13th, women skip the romance and celebrate their friends instead, usually over brunch, very often with waffles. It works because friendship rarely gets a day of its own, and mid-February, gray and cold, is a good time to give it one.
Galentine's gifts have their own rules. They're often for several people at once, they're small, and they should feel playful rather than heavy. So this guide starts with hosting, because someone has to, then party favors for the table and craft kits that give the afternoon something to do. After a short note about friends who might not be feeling it this year, it moves on to nicer gifts for the one friend who deserves more than a favor, and ends with a few things to mail to friends who live too far away for brunch.
For the rest of the year, our gifts for best friend guide has you covered. If you're also shopping for a partner the next day, see Valentine's Day gifts for her, and for a thank-you to whoever hosts, try gifts for hosts.
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If you're hosting the brunch
Galentine's is traditionally a breakfast or brunch, which is kind to the host: it's cheaper than dinner, everyone's home by mid-afternoon, and you can serve something sweet without apology. These either make the morning easier or give it a centerpiece.
- Our favorite1
Heart-Shaped Waffle Maker
~$22
A waffle iron that makes heart-shaped waffles, which is about as on-theme as a kitchen gadget gets. Set it on the counter with berries, whipped cream and syrup, and let everyone make their own. It turns breakfast into an activity and gives the photos their color. Give it to the host a week ahead, or buy it for yourself if you're hosting; it'll come out every February from now on.
- 3
Girls Night Conversation Card Game
~$20
A deck of question cards that gets friends talking past the usual work-and-weekend updates. It suits a group that knows each other well (some questions get personal) or a newer group that needs a nudge. Leave it on the table after the plates are cleared and see how long people stay.
Favors for the whole table
A little something at each place setting is the most Galentine's thing you can do. Keep it cheap, cute and the same for everyone.
4.Champagne Gummy Bears ~$15
Sugar-dusted gummies that taste faintly of bubbly. Pretty in a bowl and easy to split into little bags for each guest.
5.Heart-Shaped Sunglasses Party Pack ~$15
A multipack of pink and red heart sunglasses. Hand them out for the group photo; half the table will keep them on all morning.
6.Silk Scrunchies Set ~$20
A pack of silky scrunchies in mixed colors, one at each plate. Useful, pretty, and the favor most likely to still be in use in March.
7.Sheet Face Mask Variety Pack ~$24
Single-use sheet masks, one per friend, for a spa moment after brunch. The group selfie in masks is mandatory.
8.Nail Polish Gift Set with Top Coat ~$24
A set of small polish bottles to pass around. Set up a manicure corner and let everyone pick a color.
Make something together
A craft kit turns a brunch into an afternoon. Nobody needs talent; the point is having something in your hands while the conversation wanders.
- 9~$30
Paint and Sip Canvas Kit
Pre-sketched canvases with paints and brushes, so the group can follow along without anyone needing to draw. Add mimosas and a playlist.
Artists & Craftersexperience - 10~$25
Embroidery Starter Kit
A hoop, fabric, threads and a pattern. Easy to pick up in an afternoon and calm enough that the chatting carries on uninterrupted.
Artists & CraftersKnitters & Crochetersexperience - 11~$26
Seed Bead Jewelry Making Kit
Beads, wire and clasps for bracelets and earrings. Make one for the friend sitting next to you and swap at the end.
Jewelry LoversWoodworkers & DIYersfun - 12~$31
Glass Mosaic Coaster Making Kit
Tiles, grout and coaster bases for a small group. Everyone goes home with a set of coasters they made themselves: slightly wonky, entirely theirs.
Artists & CraftersHomebodiesexperience
For the friend who isn't feeling it this year
Galentine's lands right next to Valentine's Day, and for a friend who's just been through a breakup, a divorce or a loss, the whole week can sting. A loud brunch with heart sunglasses might be exactly what she needs, or the last thing she wants. Ask her privately, not in the group chat, whether she'd like to come.
If she'd rather skip it, send something small to her door that morning: flowers, a pastry, a note saying you're thinking of her. Avoid anything romantic or heart-shaped. The whole idea of Galentine's Day is that friends show up for each other, and sometimes that means showing up quietly.
For the one friend who deserves more than a favor
In most friend groups there's one person who has carried you through something. Galentine's is a sweet, low-pressure moment to give her a real present, without the expectations that come with a birthday.
- 13
Gold Huggie Hoop Earrings
~$40
Small gold hoops that sit close to the earlobe, simple enough to wear every day with anything. Jewelry suits a friendship gift because it gets worn often and noticed. If she has sensitive ears, look for solid gold or posts labeled hypoallergenic.
- 14
Initial Pendant Necklace
~$22
A delicate necklace with her first initial. It's personal without being soppy, and it layers easily with whatever she already wears. At around $20, it still sits comfortably within most friend-gift budgets, so it won't make anyone else at brunch feel outdone.
- 15
Scented Soy Candle Trio
~$30
Three soy candles in different scents, for evenings in. A familiar gift, but a good one when you choose scents she'd pick herself: if she always smells of citrus, don't buy her vanilla. Wrap it with a note about the next night in you'll share.
- 16
Rechargeable Manicure and Pedicure Kit
~$30
A cordless nail kit with filing and buffing heads for a salon-style finish at home. A practical treat for a friend who loves having her nails done but can't fit regular appointments into her week. Less romantic than jewelry, used far more often.
For the friends you'll celebrate by mail
Not every friend lives close enough for brunch. A small parcel that lands on February 13th, with a note explaining what it's for, includes a faraway friend in the day just as much as a seat at the table would. Choose things that ship flat or light, and post them about a week ahead.
- 17
Luxury Chocolate Bonbon Collection
~$60
A box of glossy, filled chocolates that look almost too good to eat. It's the splurge version of a Galentine's treat, and it arrives as a complete gift with nothing to assemble. February is cold enough in most places that chocolate ships safely, though it's worth checking the forecast if she lives somewhere warm.
- 18
Korean Sheet Mask Sampler Set
~$22
A stack of sheet masks in different formulas, light enough to mail in a padded envelope. Suggest a time and do one together over video, faces covered, both looking ridiculous. That shared ten minutes is the actual gift; the masks are just the excuse.
- 19
Letter Writing Stationery Set with Envelopes
~$24
Pretty paper and matching envelopes, sent with a letter of your own already written on the first sheet. It's a gentle invitation to write back, and a reminder that friendship can run on more than group-chat reactions. Lovely for a friend who keeps every card she's ever received.
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Under $25
$25–$50
Planning a Galentine's that works
Send the invite two weeks out. February 13th often falls on a weekday, so a weekend brunch close to the date is perfectly fine.
Keep favors identical so nobody compares, and spend your personal effort on a short handwritten note for each friend.
Invite friends who are coupled up as well as the single ones. The day is about friendship, not relationship status.
Share the costs. If one person hosts, the others can bring food, drinks or the craft kit.
Looking for one special gift? Describe her to our gift finder and get a shortlist picked for her.
Galentine's Day, explained
What is Galentine's Day?
A celebration of female friendship held on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day. It started on the TV show Parks and Recreation and is now widely marked with brunches, small gifts and nights in with friends.
What are good Galentine's Day gifts for a group of friends?
Small, matching favors work best: champagne gummy bears, heart-shaped sunglasses, scrunchies, sheet masks or nail polish. A shared craft kit, like a paint-and-sip set or an embroidery kit, gives the group something to do together.
How much should I spend on Galentine's Day gifts?
Keep favors under about $10 a person and a gift for one close friend under about $40. Galentine's is meant to be light; a big spend can leave friends feeling they should have done the same.
Can guys celebrate Galentine's Day too?
The original idea is women celebrating women, but plenty of mixed friend groups celebrate it, or a version of it. Whatever you call it, a February brunch with your friends is a good idea.