So, you’ve (somehow) made it to another St. Patrick’s Day without destroying your liver beforehand. Congratulations!
What shape your liver will be in on March 18th, it’s hard to say. But for those of you who have yet to celebrate your first LEGAL St. Paddy’s Day, or you just need a refresher to improve upon last years shenanigans, have no fear. I have spent the last four years perfecting my St. Paddy’s Day routine, just as my Irish Grandfather would have wanted. And today, I am here to share some tips and tricks with you. Be warned, there’s more to a good Paddy’s Day celebration than just green shirts and green beer (which we Irish would never be caught DEAD drinking, BTW).
BEFORE THE BIG DAY…
1) Stock up on your beverages of choice prior to March 17th. Because it’s everyones favourite day to pretend they can stand the taste of Guinness and Jameson, those bottles tend to go pretty quickly. If you’re looking for some other great Irish alternatives, try Kilkenny Beer of Magners Cider.
2) Pick up your green outfit at least a few days in advance. You don’t want to be that person wearing whatever they could get their hands on at American Apparel. (Looking at you way too deep V-neck dude.)
3) Create a bangin’ Paddy’s Day Playlist. You can only listen to Home For A Rest so many times in a day. Check out some bands like Flogging Molly or The Dropkick Murphy’s!
THE DAY OF…
4) Eat a BIG breakfast. I mean BIG. Today is not the day for your frilly green juices, though festive. If you’re going to be consuming alcohol during the day (as any respectable college student should be) you’re going to want a good base. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, the whole deal. Hell, throw in some Lucky Charms and green food colouring and now you’re festive AF.
5) Create a game plan with your BFFs. As day drinking is fun, it’s important to plan ahead to avoid confusion. Figure out where you’ll be during the day, and where you’ll be headed out at night.
6) CHARGE YOUR PHONE. BRING YOUR CHARGER WHEREVER YOU GO.
7) Once you’ve discovered the pot o’gold, bring that gold (loonies, duh) to the Her Campus Bake Sale in DMS and pick up some festive goodies and take some goofy photobooth pictures!
8) Plan for a nap. Everyone (including me) thinks they can day drink without taking a breather. Wrong. Have a RedBull, or an Irish coffee right before your nap, so you’ll wake up feeling energized. Then, eat some more.
9) Remember it’s PADDY’S Day, not PATTY’s Day. Patty is short for Patricia, while Paddy is short for Pádraig, the Irish form of Patrick.
10) Lastly, have FUN! St. Patrick didn’t drive the snakes out of Ireland for you to stay home and pretend to study for that midterm.
Now that you have the know-how, go out and paint the town GREEN!
Sláinte!