High school is officially over, which means you're living your best life with your friends from home before heading off to college. Maybe you and your bestie are lucky enough to be roommates for freshmen year, or you could be going off to totally opposite corners of the country. She's studying art during a semester abroad, and you're excited to start a new chapter of your life on the West Coast. Where did all the time and memories go? There are some traditions to start with your hometown friends this summer, before you truly take off on this next adventure.
You'll likely never go a day or two without talking to your best friend from home. After all, she's been there since day one. So, you can't really imagine not telling her about your first weekend out on the town, or how you're going to join a sorority. You've been excited to meet new people, and the girls in your hall are quickly becoming friends you'll have forever. But, that doesn't mean you've forgotten about the all those moments with your main squeeze the past four years or so.
In fact, you're going to tell all of your new friends those stories from the summer and graduation, even though they won't totally understand. These seven traditions will make sure you're staying close before college, and will continue for years to come.
Finding a local spot to call your own is probably the easiest tradition you can start with your crew. You may already have a favorite diner, or even a pizza parlor where you tend to hang out a lot. Personally, me and my best friend from home would always grab french fries on Wednesday afternoons after high school. So, that spot has continued to be our place to go.
When you all come home from college on break, this will be where you meet and reunite with the most wonderful hugs. Oh boy, you're going to miss your besties. But, at least you'll know exactly where to find them.
You and your bestie will definitely want to put together a playlist this summer. Now, this won't necessarily be a bunch of songs that are perfect for beach days and sunny weather. Instead, it'll be those throwback tracks, like the Backstreet Boys or jams from Hannah Montana, that put you in your best feels. Certain songs are just always going to be attached to memories in your mind. When you and your bestie are apart, playing those songs that transport you through time will make you feel closer than ever.
There's nothing quite like a good old-fashioned handwritten note. One of the first things you'll do when you get to college is try and figure out your mailbox. It'll be a rusty little knob that you have to turn, but then you'll open it to finals week care packages and letters from your bestie. Yes, you could just text her, and let's be honest, you'll likely FaceTime at least once a week. But, she'll throw some pictures into a cute card, and suddenly your day will be a bit brighter. Kind of a fun tradition to start this summer, huh?
Posing for pictures this summer is so necessary. You and your bestie want to make sure that you capture every second of your adventures before college. Sure, you're both probably working a lot, but in between those long retail shifts, you'll be headed to the beach and having bonfires with your entire crew. You'll reminisce about the past four years, and want to take Polaroids in front of the Fourth of July fireworks going off in your town. Those will be the moments in time you'll carry with you when college comes around. Thank goodness you have a picture, so you know it happened.
Whether it be pizza, Oreos, or something with peanut butter, you and your bestie should establish a favorite snack this summer. This is the food you've maybe eaten while sitting on her kitchen floor. Those days when you'd just walk right into her house even when she wasn't home, and head straight to the pantry — well, what was it that you were looking for? Even in high school, you traded your pretzels for her chocolate pudding. Just like that, you have a snack that you always share, and now a tradition, too.
Leave it to our favorite television shows to always bring us closer to the people we love. Yes, you might argue over Game of Thrones theories and get competitive when it comes to contestants on Chopped. But at the end of the day, you feel lucky to be able to share something so good with your bestie. Maybe you and your hometown friends already get together for new episodes of The Bachelorette, and have viewing parties during award show season. When you're all off in college, you'll want to keep these traditions alive, and make sure to continue them through summer.
Even when you and your bestie are home, it can be difficult to find times to hang out. Between work, family commitments, and finding time for your other friends, life gets busy. I hate to break it to you, but as you get older, that won't change one bit. So, picking certain times to talk is a great tradition to start during the summer and continue into college.
Maybe you'll always call your bestie when you're walking to class and have a few minutes, or just get ready over the phone together on Friday nights. Whenever it may be, those moments will be something you look forward to, just because it's a sweet tradition to have with your hometown friends.
