Six Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with College Students at Home or Away

One of our favorite holidays in college was St. Patrick’s Day. My roommate and I loved dressing up in green, drinking green beer and socializing with others at a St. Patrick’s Day party. During one of these parties, a guy approached us and asked, “Are you two Irish?" We both said “no”, but that did not stop us from joining in on the fun.

According to History.com, the Irish have been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for over 1000 years. Always observed on March 17, the Irish would attend church in the morning (occurs during the Christian season of Lent) and celebrate in the afternoon. In America, the first celebration took place in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida in 1601.

Today, the holiday is celebrated in many ways ranging from attending parades; enjoying community events; adorning homes and apartments with clever green-and-gold decorations, dressing up in bright green colors and partaking in traditional Irish food or creating your own using green fruits and vegetables.

On college campuses across United States, students have also celebrated in myriad ways. BroBible (a publication for millennial men) lists 15 best college St. Patrick’s Day parties in the U.S. Two stuck out, the “Barney Blowout” at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the “Kegs and Eggs” celebration at SUNY Albany. Both have a rowdy past and with college administrators trying to curtail the spread of Covid-19 on campuses, we are not  sure St. Patrick’s Day activities will occur in 2021.

For this reason, we created our own list of fun activities parents could do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with their college student(s), especially if they are home engaged in remote learning. In addition, we include several gift ideas in case you want to send or give out gifts for St. Patrick's Day.

• Watch Irish Movies While Sipping a Kiwi Mojito Cocktail

In January of 2021, Oprah Magazine listed 28 of the Best Irish Movies to Watch for an Escape. Our favorite was #5 ONCE. Currently available on HBO MAX, the movie is about a street musician (Glen Hansard) who performs for donations. Early in the movie, he meets a young woman originally from the Czech Republic (Marketa Irglova). Filmed in Dublin, they fall for each other and begin creating beautiful music together. The song “Falling Slowly” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008. What is so amazing about this movie is that it was shot in 17 days on an incredibly low budget.

This Kiwi Mojito cocktail is a delicious and festive St. Patrick’s Day idea. It's a simple mixed drink of rum, mint, lime, simple sugar syrup, sparkling water and 6 kiwis that takes only 10 minutes to make.

• Prepare a Lucky Breakfast with Irish Coffee

Green pancakes are always a big hit, but would you ever prepare green eggs and spam? If your college student wants a healthy start to his/her day, try a simple, but attractive green fruit and green vegetable platter. Served with a mug of Irish coffee, with or without the Irish whiskey, your college student will be pleasantly surprised and thrilled that you took the extra initiative to kick-start his/her day.

• Indulge in a Green Manicure

How fun it would be to take your college student with you the next time you get your nails done.  Different shades of green for each fingernail, stripes or a shamrock on each nail would be a cool way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

• Listen to a Great Irish Story on Audible.com While Enjoying a Green Beer

One of our favorite Irish stories is Brooklyn written by Irish-born author Colm Tóibin. Narrated by Kirsten Potter on Audio.com, she tells the story of Eilis Lacey, a young woman from Ireland who immigrates to America for a better life. She describes Eilis’ uncomfortable crossing, her separation from family and the loneliness she experiences in a new country. In the end, she finds her way.

Brooklyn was made into a movie in 2015. Starring, Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey, it is currently available on Amazon Prime. Brooklyn was named one of the best films of 2015. According to Wikipedia, “The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress for Ronan, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film”.

What goes with a great story...lots of great snacks and drinks. Have you ever tried to make green beer? Emily VanSchmus, in the January 2021 issue of Better Homes and Gardens, describes 5 different ways to make Green Beer. Number 4 is very interesting... using green skittles.

• Send a Care Package

Of course, we are a bit partial to this one because it is our favorite way to send love to friends or family to show we are thinking about them! Choose from one of our college care packages from shamrock shortbread cookies baked by Macrina and decorated with crystalized green sugar to Solmate Socks in shades of green. Perfect for students or loved ones who cannot come home and those close by, but unable to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with family or friends.

• Other Gift Ideas

Other gift ideas that your college student may enjoy include a crazy green t-shirt from Life is Good and fun pillows from Wayfair!

However you choose to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year, be creative, have fun, and don’t get into any shenanigans.