Who’s Getting Ready for Valentine’s Day?-Written by Fatima, GiGi’s NYC Participant

Hi everyone! Happy Valentine’s Day, GiGi’s NYC!

Who is making plans for Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day makes me feel so loved since I have a lot of valentines in my life and this is the time of year to spread love to others. On this day many people exchange gifts with their loved ones in order to express their love. My valentines this year include my fiancé Peter and his entire family, my grandparents Maureen and Pop Pop, my parents and my brother Harris, my longtime friends from Canada (Aldo, Dolores, Christina, Daniella, and Annalisa), my friends from GiGi’s NYC, my friends from Dancing Dreams, my helper Laura Mangino and her parents, and most importantly my grandmother Katherine, who is in heaven. May she rest in peace on this day. 

There are so many more wonderful holidays to celebrate this month such as Groundhog Day, National Frozen Yogurt Day, Chinese New Year, National Women’s Day, and National Family Day. This month is extra exciting because my dad’s birthday was on February 10th, and February 14th is my parents’ wedding anniversary. They are going to be married for 25 years. Can you believe it?

National Groundhog Day was celebrated on Friday, February 2nd this year, and a lot of people celebrate it in different ways. For example, people like to hold parades and gatherings for this unique holiday and watch the livestream of the groundhog ceremony. This is also a popular day to play with shadows. Groundhogs are the largest species in the squirrel family. They have other names such as woodchucks, whistle pigs, and land beavers. 

National Frozen Yogurt Day was celebrated on Tuesday, February 6th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the occasion. For example, people like to invite a bunch of friends over and enjoy their favorite flavors. My favorite frozen yogurts are vanilla and chocolate swirl, strawberry and banana yogurt smoothie, and tropical mango yogurt smoothie. I especially love self-serve frozen yogurt locations. They always have so many good toppings such as crushed oreos, sprinkles, M&M candy pieces, mini Hershey’s bars, brownie chunks, fresh strawberries, cherries, pineapples, syrups, and whipped cream.

Chinese New Year was celebrated on Saturday, February 10th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the occasion by having Chinese food and decorating their home with red lanterns, couplets, and other festive items. I went over to see my friends Angela and Eddie to celebrate this holiday. Eddie is Chinese. Also, this day is my father’s birthday. We also celebrated his birthday with him with a birthday cake.

National Women’s Day was celebrated on Tuesday, February 13th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the occasion by giving gifts to express appreciation, gratitude, and support for the important women in their lives. Others like to attend political demonstrations and protests. To celebrate this day, I like to plan a ladies’ day out to get sushi with the most important women in my life.

National Family Day is celebrated on Tuesday, February 20th this year, and on this day we honor our families. We can do this by catching up with them, playing games together, making meals together, spending quality time doing something that everyone in your family enjoys, or going out for a late dinner together. 

Before I start the March blog, I want to recommend a Chinese restaurant where I live in Queens. It is called Xing’s Chef. This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants to order from. I like ordering the chicken and broccoli with fried rice and an egg roll, shrimp with broccoli and a side of vegetable fried rice, steamed shrimp and vegetable dumplings, shrimp lo mein, and sesame chicken with fried rice and a wonton egg drop mixed soup as the combination. 

Wishing everybody a beautiful Valentine’s Day! Hope to see you all soon.

A lot of love always,

Fatima