Hi, Girlfriends! We’ve had a lovely holiday hiatus, but now we’re back with a whole new year of ideas to help you have fun and meaningful times with your girlfriends. Did you spend enough time with your girlfriends in 2008? Do you wish you’d taken more time for female friendship?

Have you, like our girlfriend Amy, declared 2009 “the year I take care of me”? If you’re like many of us, you meant to have a regular “date” with your girlfriends last year, but it didn’t quite happen that way. But here’s good news: A new year is the perfect opportunity to create new habits and do things better. We’d like to help you realize all the benefits of strong girlfriendships in 2009, and we’ve put together a little guide to get you started. Read on for our Seven Steps to Better Girls Nights!

Seven Steps to Better Girls Nights

1. Give yourself permission. Women are great at nurturing—so why don’t we nurture ourselves? First things first: You have to believe it’s OK—in fact, it’s essential—for you to spend one night a month away from the husband, the kids, the dog, the apartment, the job, or whatever it is that you tend to. Spending time with your girlfriends makes you a better, healthier, happier person, and that’s good for all facets of your life. Don’t believe us? See Girlfriends Are Good For You for the proof!
2. Commit to one “date” a month with your girlfriends. Whether it’s girls night out or girls night in, girlfriend brunch or even a girlfriend getaway, promise yourself that you will make this time once a month, and then get your girlfriends on board.

3. Calendar your dates. The single most important step to enjoying the benefits of female friendship is putting those dates on the calendar. If you have a girlfriend group, meet in January and ask everyone to bring their calendars. Try meeting once a month to start (our surveys show that most girlfriends think this is the right frequency to get together). Many girlfriend groups meet on a consistent day, such as the third Thursday of each month, year in and year out.

4. Put a different girlfriend in charge of planning each month’s festivities. It’s no fun being the one who always does the work, is it? So split up the planning responsibilities by having a different girlfriend host each month. She determines the theme, the location, the menu, and other details. Costs can be evenly split, or the hosting girlfriend can treat—that’s up to you and your gal pals.

5. Think about themes. Exploring a different theme each month adds variety and interest, giving you something to look forward to and ensuring that your girlfriends keep coming back. Perhaps you already know December’s party will involve the holidays, or July’s party will be a beach barbecue, because that’s your girlfriend tradition. Put it on the calendar now. Otherwise, let your girlfriends use their imagination! Of course, they can check GirlfriendCelebrations.com for the latest girls night and girlfriend party ideas each month, or search for a particular theme, from Awards-Show Mania to Valentine’s Day. (And, be sure to share your girls night party theme ideas with us. We’d love to hear how you celebrate with your girlfriends.)

6. Build in meaning. Learning more about each other is vital to strengthening your friendships. So take your girls nights beyond eating, drinking and gossiping. Experiencing something new together (like learning to bellydance, or volunteering at a homeless shelter) is a classic bonding technique. Or, add a brief connecting activity that helps you understand your gal pals better. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, embarrassing, or corny. You’ll find fun and easy connecting activities in nearly ALL of our girls night party plans. It takes a tiny bit of effort, but pays off in stronger friendships—and that’s definitely worth it.

7. Review, and revel in it! After each girls night, take a few minutes to evaluate. You may want to do this on your own, or together via email. How did the girls night go? Did it meet your expectations? Did you get what you wanted out of the evening? What would have improved the experience? What will you do different next time? Make a few notes and pass them on to the girlfriend planning the next event. Finally, don’t forget to revel in your achievement. You did it! You made your health and well-being a priority by putting your girls nights on the calendar. Enjoy every minute of your girlfriend time this year. Cheers!

For more girlfriend party planning tips, see January Party: The Very Important Planning Event and Girlfriend Parties on a Budget.

Any tips we’re missing, girlfriends? What makes your girls nights better, or your girlfriend group run more smoothly? Please join the party: We’d love to hear your comments!