Leslie Knope’s Galentine’s Day Extravaganza

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

[TV still from Parks & Recreation, NBC]

When it comes to planning a truly terrific party, Leslie Knope is the end all and be all. So, we were thrilled when the queen of Galentine’s Day herself let us peek into her party planning binder for the U.S. Department of the Interior Midwest Division Galentine’s Day Extravaganza. This is one party you won’t want to miss.

 

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Hi Leslie, it’s Leslie. This binder is the key to the unstoppable Ann Perkins Will be in Attendance Galentine’s Day Extravaganza. Our goal? Ladies celebrating ladies. Our venue? JJ’s Diner. My friends? Noble land mermaids. Well except for maybe Shauna Malwae-Tweep. Jury’s still out on her.

 

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Where Everyone Knows Your Order: Dining at JJ’s

I’ve already called JJ in advance to let him know that we’ll need a big table again this year. Since that call, I’ve checked in to ask about the diner’s whipped cream inventory, since we’ll be eating our weight in waffles. He thought I was joking, so I’ve already stashed an extra can of whipped cream in my purse in case of emergency. You can never be too prepared.

 

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Made in Their Image: A Note on Personalized Gifts

In past years, I’ve made mosaics of my friends’ faces, cross stitched their images onto decorative pillows, and written several thousand word essays about how wonderful they are. This year, I’m commissioning paintings of each of my favorite ladies to constantly remind them how wonderful they are. You know how the saying goes: you can never have too many artistic depictions of yourself. That’s not a saying. Scratch that. I’m also donating to every one of my lady friends’ favorite charities in their honor. In honor of April, I’m giving to the Best Friends Animal Society. To celebrate the best nurse in the entire world, I’m donating to Planned Parenthood in Ann’s honor. I’m giving to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in honor of Donna and her wonderful husband’s commitment to education. I’ll be honoring Shauna Malwae-Tweep’s commitment to the free press with a donation to the ACLU. And finally, I’ll be giving to EMILY’s List in honor of my mother’s passion for electing more women to public office. I’m really outdoing myself this year.

 

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Clear Eyes, Full Hearts: Directing the Conversation Toward Matt Saracen

It’s not Galentine’s Day without a heated conversation about Friday Night Lights, the greatest television show of all time. Ann, that perfect sunflower, will inevitably try to steer the conversation towards Tim Riggins. This cannot happen! Everyone knows that Matt Saracen is not only kind and wonderful, but also an incredibly dedicated football player. He’s the best character in the whole series. How is this even a contest? Tim Riggins is a criminal and so is his brother. Matt Saracen is the Ann Perkins of Friday Night Lights. He’s perfect. End of discussion.