This past weekend, I went to my cousin’s high school graduation party, which brought up a lot more nostalgia than I imagined. While I only graduated high school a year ago, there truly is something special about grad party season that can’t be replicated later in life. With that being said, here are the three things I miss the most about high school graduation parties:
The Food
I’ll start off simply – the food at graduation parties was fantastic. I honestly don’t think there has been a period of time in my life where I ate better food than during grad party season last summer. An average Saturday would consist of three-to-four grad parties, all spread out throughout the day. You’d start off around noon with some solid burgers and dogs, then later on some fried chicken and pasta, capping off the night with an ungodly amount of pizza and cake from the best Italian spot in town. If you do it right, you’ll have gained the “freshman fifteen” before you even step foot on campus. The best parties to be at were the ones where you didn’t really know many people so you could indulge in whatever delicacies they had available with no shame whatsoever.
Being Openly Hammered
For many of us, graduation parties were one of the first times you and your buddies could throw back some booze without hiding it in your parents’ basement. Sure, you really couldn’t get too trashed at your own graduation party, but other people’s parties were fair game. Although the open coolers filled with beer resulted in some fantastic nights, the parties that supplied hard liquor often led to some rough experiences. When tiny high school girls take a step up from the Truly’s, you’re likely going to have multiple people being carried out of the party with puke all over their clothing. But hey, at least you’re getting those “bad times” out of the way before college!
Money, Money, Money
If you never had your own graduation party, you probably won’t relate too heavily to this point. But if you did, you know exactly what I’m talking about. High school really wasn’t all that difficult, but the amount of cold hard cash my buddies and I got at our graduation parties would make it seem like we just cured cancer. If you went to one of those rich private schools, the money you got for your graduation party was probably enough to make a down payment on a small house. Enjoy the mass inflow of cash while it lasts because, after high school graduation, you’ve only got your college graduation and wedding left in terms of giant events that celebrate only you. On the flip side, my parents probably got pretty sick of having to dish out $100 every weekend so I could attend the seven parties that were going on over a two-day span.
The summer before your first year at college is an incredibly exciting time, so enjoy every minute of grad party season as it really is a period of time that you only get to experience once. So, devour the food, get hammered, and maybe even hit on that one single mom who you always thought you maybe had a chance with.
