St. Patrick’s Day 2019: Build that Leprechaun Trap, wear that green shirt, and go to a Parade.
Growing up, St. Patrick’s Day was always celebrated as a major holiday in my family even though we were not Irish. Still to this day at 42 years old, I remember how much fun it was to be a part of this tradition as a child. It all started with our Irish neighbors that moved in the house right behind us. Right around the first week of March we started to see a lot of excitement around their house…float building and green decorations galore. Little did we know this family was a part of the local town’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee and had had a family float for many generations back! The planning that went into this started way beyond our eyes could see. As we started to get to know this family better, they immediately invited us and included us in on the daily festivities and their family celebrations and traditions. Next thing we know, we are walking or riding in the family float at the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade each and every year. It is hard to put into writing the amazing memories I have as a child from these days. I want this for my children. Irish or not…I want to encourage them to celebrate and be a part of different traditions and cultural experiences. I no longer live in the town I grew up in, but this day does generate much excitement in our house. The Leprechaun Trap is built yearly (we are yet to catch one, let’s see what this year brings!), we wear green, and if we don’t have sporting events, etc. going on, we head to downtown Denver for their amazing St. Patrick’s Day Parade and get all dressed up. Here are some fun links to celebrate this year with your kids too.
- Build a Leprechaun Trap: I love the creativity behind these traps. The kids have so much fun finding things around the house to glue and tape together and they always ask me to buy Rolo’s (gold wrapped chocolate candy) to trick the leprechauns into thinking it is real gold. https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/easy-kids-leprechaun-trap-ideas-st-patricks-day-activity/
- Wear that Green Shirt: The kids don’t want to get pinched for not wearing green, so they insist they have a shirt each year. I usually pick up a $5.00 t-shirt for them at Walmart or Target or you can let the kids get creative and make their own shirt: https://www.aboutamom.com/no-sew-st-patricks-day-shirt-for-kids/
Go to a Parade: Do a search in your local area and you will surely find a St. Patrick’s Day Parade nearby. This year most parades will fall on Saturday, March 16th. The parade in downtown Denver is a LOT of fun. We make a day out of it buy riding the light rail into the city, walking through Union Station and going out to lunch afterwards. Dress the kiddos warm and bring a bag for them to collect all the candy and fun items that they will get during the parade. https://www.denverstpatricksdayparade.com/