14 Ways to Live Like a Gilmore Girl

"Gilmore Girls" is my favorite TV show. You can't beat their quick wit, charming town, and quirky characters. Plus, who doesn't love watching a show that has a set that is decorated with twinkle lights, snow, and fall leaves? I would love to attend some Stars Hollow events, like the Founders Day Festival (just don't drink too much of Ms. Patty's punch). Since I can't actually live in the show, I've come up with some fun ways to live like a Gilmore Girl.

1. Drink Coffee

Even if you've only seen a couple of episodes from the show, you know that Lorelai and Rory love coffee. It's an essential. They don't head to Starbucks for a fancy flavored cup, though. They just get some from their good friend, Luke, who "keeps them in coffee." (find reference)

2. Wear Chinos and Jean Jackets

This applies more to the earlier seasons, when the show was at its best. Rory especially wore a lot of chino pants and jean jackets. They also wore corduroy pants and jackets. Similarly...

3. Be fun with your style

Lorelai wears what she wants to wear, and always looks fabulous. She wears cheetah print, loud colors, and lots of jeans. I love the sweater she wears in [episode] with a sparkly kitten on the front. It may seem childish, but I love that it says that she's wearing it because it's fun, and she doesn't worry what others might think of her outfit.

4. Wear braids

Along the same lines, and more applicable to the early seasons, Rory and Lane wore a lot of braids. Rory often wore two face-framing braids on either side of her head with her hair down. Lane liked to wear pigtail braids. Braids are a fun way to pull back your hair, and you can style them to look casual, like Rory and Lane usually wore them, or more put together.

5. Value a few strong friendships over a lot of acquaintances

Rory and Lorelai have a few very close friends throughout the show, and they nurture these relationships instead of juggling a lot of sort-of friends. Rory has Lane as her best friend, and Lorelai has Sookie. Rory is also friends with Dean and Paris, who becomes one of her best friends later in the series. Lorelai and Luke have a funny, sweet friendship that's made stronger by the hard times they go through before, during,and after dating. While they love and are loved by their town and all of its characters, it's obvious that it's important to the Gilmore Girls to have quality friendships with a few people.

6. Keep Investing in Your Relationships with Family

Even though Lorelai and her parents often have disagreements and hurt each other, their relationship continue to be important to them. I think even before Lorelai asked her parents for money for Rory's school and was still very distant from them, she still desired to have a better relationship with them. They go through times of feeling like they should just give up trying to get along, but the eventually mend the relationship and keep on going. Emily sometimes seems unsupportive and unloving, but it's motivated by her love for Lorelai and her desire for Lorelai to have a good life. The problem is that Emily and Lorelai have different definitions of a "good" life. Despite these difficult times, Lorelai appreciates the love that her parents show for Rory, and both Lorelai and her parents enjoy giving to each other.

7. Give People Second Chances

Rory and Paris did not have a friendly relationship when they met, and it continued to be a rocky relationship for a while. Eventually, they became true friends. Rory had a lot of patience with Paris, and she saw Paris's good attributes even when others wouldn't. Rory also understood that a lot of Paris's behavior came out of a bad family life. Rory and Paris challenged each other in school and helped each other become better students and friends. It's valuable to have a friendship that helps you become a better person, and the hard times in the relationship are worth it.

8. Add a Feather Boa to Your Stuff

Rory's alarm clock has a pink feather boa across the top, and Lorelai decorated a hammer with pink boas when Rory volunteered to build a house. Rory even mentions that Lorelai decorated her white-out bottles to look like people.

9. Pursue Your Dreams

Lorelai and Sookie dreamed of opening their own Inn for years, and they always had hope that they could do it. They had confidence in themselves and worked to make it happen. They didn't wait around until it was easy to do, because they knew it would be a tough but rewarding process. Lorelai especially had a hard time saying goodbye to the Independence Inn because of the memories she and Rory had there, but she was so happy to run her own inn with her best friend.

10. Don't Let Calorie Counting Rule Your Life

Obviously, the amount of food that Lorelai and Rory eat, and the types of food they eat, is really unrealistic considering their slim figures. However, I do think that a lesson can be learned from them. It's important to take care of yourself, but it's also important to live life and eat a mallomar once in a while.

11. Reference Your Favorite Books and Movies in Conversation

The Gilmore Girls are known for their fast talking and pop culture references. You don't have to understand all of their references to be a savvy conversationalist. Referencing the books, TV shows, and movies you like is a fun way to get your point across and introduce people to some awesome culture.

12. Go to Fun Events

Stars Hollow has a ton of fun events throughout the year, like the aforementioned Founders Day Festival. They also have the summer carnival, the dance marathon, the knit-a-thon, the winter carnival, the Festival of Living Art and the Thanksgiving celebration. Rory and Lorelai always participate, and these episodes are always extra fun to watch. Look for unique events and festivals near where you live.

13. Stay True to Who You Are
Rory is given a hard time by administrators at her school when they think she isn't socializing enough. Instead of sitting with a large group of people at lunch at school, she likes to take that time to listen to her Walkman and read a book. When she's told that this could affect her recommendation to university, she tries joining a group at school. Once this group, a secret society, breaks into the school one night for an initiation ceremony and is caught by the headmaster, Rory stands up for herself. By telling the headmaster that she was just doing what he had demanded and that she was fine with her life the way it was, she avoided punishment and was left alone. Rory knew who she was and knew that she didn't need to change her personality just to please others.Similarly, Lorelai knew she didn't want a life like her parents, and followed her own path as soon as she could.

14. Don't be Afraid to be Silly
Sookie is so adorable and genuine. I love that she dances, sings, and jokes around with confidence. Her personality is playful, and she's unafraid to be silly. Life is too short to be serious all the time.

What do you love about Gilmore Girls?