Image via Complex Original
We’ve reached the end of the trifecta. The three anchors of the American summer conclude with the one that has a tendency to slightly bum everyone out because it is seen as the unofficial end of everyone’s favorite season. But it shouldn’t because (a) summer isn’t technically over, and (b) the weather really doesn’t start to get awful for another three and half months—two great reasons to grab the bull by the horns and crush Labor Day.
Now, a lot of your friends might not have the fortitude or resources to curate an unforgettable three days, but you do. Granted, I don’t know you personally, but I like to assume you’ve got it together. Even if you’ve kind of got it together, I’m going to find it in my heart to help you come out on top this LDW (Labor Day Weekend). So let’s you and I do this. Let’s be better than everyone we still barely keep in touch with and unequivocally take Labor Day to the next level.
Get Out of Town
Long weekends were born for getting out of town. You spent so much time “in town” that you forget how to truly enjoy your “in town” life. That’s why leaving it for three days is great because you reset your love for home while loving life in and around someone else’s home. The only thing better than leaving for three days is leaving for four. As grownups, we need to do everything within our means to minimize the stress of travel and tacking on an extra day to your government weekends does just that. You leave bright and early that Friday morning and don’t come back until the Tuesday after Labor Day. Be an adult and avoid hating yourself, as well as the car full of friends singing 3 Doors Down in bumper-to-bumper traffic, because you’re convinced that playing by the LDW rules is the right move.
Don’t Get Out of Town
Forget everything I just said in that last tip. Okay, maybe not everything, but hear me out. For the longest time I lived by the mantra that I must leave New York during every major American holiday if I’m going to enjoy myself. And more often than not, I have enjoyed myself. I would spend long weekends on some body of water in New England with old friends getting weird. Which is wonderful, but I was turning a blind eye to all the amazing adventures that take place in the city when everyone else inevitably does exactly what I used to do. When the streets are empty, the native New Yorkers get loose, and that’s something you need to experience. Try to get a read on what’s popping in the city and who’s going to be around before you stubbornly go through the same, but fun, motions. Sometimes there just isn’t a better way to send off summer than with a rooftop full of local babes and a couple bottles of rosé champagne.
Get On a Boat
Some of you are probably saying to yourselves, “Yeah, of course, man. I’d love to be on a boat. But I don’t have one so WHAT NOW?!” Well, find one. I honestly don’t think it’s as hard as you may think. In fact, I know it’s not as hard as you may think unless you hate boats, the water, or pretending to be nice to some jerk that has a sick boat. If you’re cool with those three things then you’re good. Growing up outside of New York certainly helps facilitate a water adventure. You just have to hit up those boat homies well in advance as to allow time for them to get over the fact that you’re probably just using them for their boat. Even if no one immediately comes to mind, you can still make this happen. Head out to a beach town—like Far Rockaway, for example—and spend a night or two partying with the locals. Boat people are generally great people and they like parting with fun strangers. Just try your best to avoid any kind of Cape Fear situation. Unless you live in the actual Cape Fear, then you’re probably fine. Probably.
Don’t Go All-White
Labor Day also marks the unofficial end to white pants. But if you’re a boss, you wear white pants whenever you want; it’s your life, let ’em hate. You wear whatever you want, whenever you want. If you do it with confidence, people will eventually just agree with you. That’s how confidence works. If you do want to call it quits on LDW (which is fine), please don’t feel the need to present yourself as some kind of an all-white-everything fashion monster for three straight days. There will be all-white parties, yes. You can attend them, yes. But why not spice it up? Go all beige. It’s like white but way more relaxed. If you’re not into beige, then go white jeans and no shirt. Still not feeling it? Okay, how about you just wear whatever you want and carry a chalice? Your outfit will not be questioned and the other confidently dressed attendees will naturally gravitate toward you. Still not into it? Then stay home, dude. There’s no judgment to be passed when you’re home alone. Just look at how much fun Kevin McCallister had.
Make a Strong Plan
This feels like advice that goes without saying, but we’ve all been in that position when a holiday sneaks up on us and we’ve got no real plan as to how best to crush it. Sure you can probably piece something together last minute, but it’s best to go in with a strong set of options that allow you to be both nimble and half-committed. People won’t necessarily mind if you say you’re going to come to their party on a holiday weekend but then you’re a no-show. Things happen—all good. So you kind of have to take advantage of that and string together as many great options for each night as you can find. There’s nothing more disappointing than being stoked all day for a party, getting there and realizing it’s a total snooze, and not having a back-up plan to save your evening. Then you’re stuck making the best of a lame situation, and that generally just ends in a very sad next morning when you start hearing about all the good times you missed the night before.
Lock In a Great Crew, or Two
This can be a hard one to commit to doing, but try your best to not feel the need to spend the entire time with the same people. As I finished typing that sentence, I realized how selfish that sounds, but whatever. I’m an only child that respects the feelings of others, but also knows the best times to maybe just look out for myself. So if you have the luxury of having a bigger group of friends, you probably also have access to many a different parties with many a different vibes. Why not take advantage of that? You’ll get to catch up with people who thought you wrote them off as well as have the amazing feeling of making a late (but welcomed) entrance to multiple parties in one night. I love showing up late to parties, especially birthday parties, because the first 1-2 minutes always kind of feels like it’s YOUR birthday.
Make the Best of Every Minute
I hope this one doesn’t sound repetitive as I’ve touched on it in some of my previous tips, but it’s critical to the enjoyment of life so it needed to be addressed individually. I’m a very live-in-the-moment type of person. Which I’m sure sounds like a tremendously douchey thing to say, but that’s because you haven’t truly tried to live in it. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, but it opens up a world of opportunities. This is especially true during three-day party weekends. Everyone is buzzing with party energy and all they want to do is have fun and send that summer off right. So why not help them? Help everyone. And that’s as simple as just being available for everything that’s happening around you. Listen. Get involved in conversations that you might not otherwise get involved with. Talk to fun strangers. They usually like other fun strangers and then BOOM—stranger magic happens. Also, keep a bottle on ice in your apartment. If worst comes to worst, it’s all yours after a long night. Best comes to best, it’s the beginning of an amazing fun stranger evening.
Enjoy the Outdoors
Regardless of your location for Labor Day weekend, you must spend at least 70 percent of the non-sleeping hours outdoors. Do not ask where that figure came from because it doesn’t matter. It’s a fact, said by someone at some point in time and it’s crucial to living a true Labor Day. Even if it rains, it’s still a good idea to log a few hours outdoors. And that doesn’t mean getting all grizzled up and hitting the forest. Just be outside, it’s that simple. Barbecues, rooftops, the beach, backyards—whatever. The options are endless and there is all kinds of fun to be had with Mother Nature.
Roll with the Babes
I’m hoping that at this point in your adult lives, you have at least a couple of rad chicks that are willing to roll with you whenever you’re ready to get it in. If not, then it starts on Labor Day weekend. The benefits of having an awesome lady (or ladies) with you when you go out are seemingly endless. First of all, they keep you from wylin’ out too much. Women traditionally make better life decisions than men, so having some loyal ladies with you will help you make said better life decisions. Secondly, and this is most important during a party weekend, they make it seem like you really got it all figured out when go places with them. Walking in to a party with a group of girls, rather than dolo or with your idiot crew of dudes, will always be better received. It makes you seem less threatening and more fun because if you’ve got some great babes that want to party with you, that tells other people you know how to have fun.
Do it For America
Let us begin by reminding ourselves that Labor Day was created as a “tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.” So this is very much a do-it-for-your-country-and-those-that-made-it-awesome type of situation. And anytime I dedicate enjoying myself to America, it always seems to be the best time of my life. All that matters is that when you do something for your country, the karmic Gods of freedom will look kindly upon you. You may think that all of this is completely obvious to everyone, but it isn’t. Plenty of people take these three-day government holidays for granted and do nothing to thank the country that gave it to them. So throw on some American flag gear, fire up the charcoals, and throw a Frisbee to a golden retriever because it’s the last America Day until 2015. Also, break out that crystal stemware because America kind of gets it popping like that now, and that’s a beautiful thing.