I’m writing this post especially for Nappy Valley Girl. I’m slightly ahead of her in the Brit living in America stakes, so was able to provide some tips for Valentine’s Day.
Next up? St Patrick’s Day. The holiday which ensures every single American becomes Irish for the day.
Here’s what your children will expect:
Green water in the loo
Green pancakes for breakfast
Green milk
Green cookies
Green decorations scattered about the house.
Those pesky leprechauns turn everything green on St Patrick’s Day.
No, I didn’t know any of this stuff either last year. We turned up at a baseball game and the boys all compared what the leprechauns had done to each other’s houses. Apparently, they hadn’t bothered to visit us, perhaps because we’re English?
Until we got home that is. I found a bottle of green food colouring and lobbed it down the loo, praying it wouldn’t stain. Great joy! They may have been late but at least they’d come. Luckily, as our tooth fairy has a tendency to wait one or two days before visiting (make that remembering) a late leprechaun wasn’t too much of a shock.
That’s for the children. As the afternoon arrives, you must put on your green bikini, you know, that one with the shamrocks on. Then head to the nearest Irish bar to stand in line for hours (oh dear, I’ve actually written ’stand in line’ instead of queue, forgive me) before finally getting inside to drink green beer. That is the traditional way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, isn’t it?
I was going to include a photo of me in my green shamrock bikini drinking green beer, but it’s mysteriously disappeared.
Our entire peninsula will be Irish for the day on 17th March. My son has already hinted that he’s expecting the loo to be green. How bizarre! Who on earth came up with that idea?
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You see, this is why I *don’t* want to come to the US
Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Don’t forget that you need to wear green, or you will be pinched. when I was little we would wear green, but under something, so it wasn’t obvious. Then if you were pinched for not wearing green, you would get a double pinch because I acyualy did hav geen. Read into that whatever you want!
I was stunned when my kids started to school to find what a big deal is made of St Patrick’s Day in public school. It was never even mentioned in any of the private schools where I worked.
@Ella There’s good things, and bad things!
@AModernMother I forgot about the pinching!
@AlmostAmerican It does seem strange to focus on that one holiday in particular.
And here in Chicago (where everyone thinks they’re Irish) they even dye the river green.
I just “popped” out with the Little Guy to buy him new shoes. It took me almost half an hour to drive about a mile and a half back home because there were bar-hoppers walking all over the place. Stand still traffic and drunken people in stupid green hats all over. Queueing up outside pubs in the rain and 44 degree weather. Ugh!
Mind you, I’m going to a St. Patty’s party myself tonight.
Ooh, how embarrassing, I’ve come late to your post and found it was especially for me…..
Thank you. I had absolutely no idea about any of this. Green water in the loo – how bizarre…..I think I’m just going to keep my head down for this year; thankfully the boys don’t go to preschool on Wednesdays!
I let St Patty’s Day pass me by this year. Although there were several groups of foolish, green-clad people seemingly begging to be run over when I was ferrying the boys to their sports class on Sat morning. And then I was almost accosted by 2 inebriated girls engaged in a fist fight in the afternoon. Although Chicago goes St Patrick’s Day mental, I have managed to protect the boys from it so far (or is that myself?). As for green loo water…well, this just goes to show that you learn something new every day!
See now, aren’t you guys so lucky I dropped by?
@Nicola: St Paddy’s Day until Wednesday!
My favorite peeve about March 17th in the US? The obsession with referring to it as St Patty’s Day when every self-respecting Irish person knows that it’s St. Paddy’s Day. Honestly. Drives me nuts.
@nvg yes, I would stay indoors at all costs on Wednesday!
@ExpatMum @Nicola You’re in even more of an Irish area, it must be mad. I’m always intrigued at how they turn the river green – I’ll have to look up how they do it.
@wandermom Nicola is in Chicago – I think they started earlier than everyone else!
I still haven’t worked out where the pot of gold fits into the story, though. Is it that leprechauns like gold? Or that catching a leprechaun will bring you gold? Still mystified by that one.
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