1. Rory Gilmore’s birthday falls (pun most definitely intended) in October.
Coincidence? I think not. Small-town poster child, beloved Ice Cream Queen and Ivy League bookworm, Rory Gilmore, was born on Oct. 8, 1984 in Hartford, Connecticut, at 4:03 a.m. It’s an annual holiday that always makes it into the show—even when they skip the on-screen Christmas festivities and even when Rory and Lorelai aren’t on speaking terms. True Gilmore Girls fans will know that Lorelai wakes up at exactly this time every year, crawls into bed with Rory, and tells her the hilarious but heartwarming story of the night she was born. “While some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me, it was something more akin to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite,” she says. When this happens for the first time (S1E6), Lorelai is wearing a flannel shirt as the two huddle beneath mounds of blankets. It doesn’t get more ~fall~ than this.
2. Luke Danes is always dressed for fall.
Speaking of flannel, Stars Hollow’s local diner owner, Luke Danes, is remembered fondly for The Horoscope, his less than charming demeanor (he once broke a window trying to throw a frying pan at Taylor Doose’s head), and his signature look—a backward baseball cap and a flannel shirt. He is perpetually grumpy, steadfastly refusing to decorate his diner for fall almost every year, but the girls love him anyway. His quirky, homey style adds a certain unexpected warmth to the experience that is living in Stars Hollow. It’s like Lorelai says (S7E12), “Once Luke Danes is in your life, he is in your life forever.”
3. There is no town more dedicated to the fall festival schedule than Stars Hollow.
Taylor Doose, Stars Hollow’s town selectman, may be the most festive person on the East Coast. Seriously, this town has had entire weekend-long festivals dedicated to knitting! It’s no surprise, then, that his fall festival schedule is always on point. So he turned the whole town into a hay maze that one time, it was an adventure and the people loved it.
4. Coffee is fall’s signature drink and Gilmore Girls is all about it.
Coffee please, and a shot of cynicism. The Gilmore Girls pilot begins with one of the most beloved Lorelai-Luke interactions (and an awesome 90s soundtrack but that’s beside the point). Lorelai walks into Luke’s, where we soon learn she spends most her time, and begs him to supply her sixth cup of coffee for the day. He calls her a “junkie,” she calls him an “angel.” The rest is history— and highly caffeinated. In that first episode alone, Lorelai and Rory share lip gloss, CDs and, of course, what we can only assume is a very expensive coffee addiction. In a town as picturesque and, let’s not forget, cold as Stars Hollow, what could be better than curling up with a hot cup of coffee at Luke’s, the antique Dragonfly Inn, or the town gazebo. That’s surely where I’d like to be this fall!
5. The girls’ insane eating habits are perfect for fall holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Everyone knows Halloween candy is mental and bodily prep for Thanksgiving food. In fact, pretty much all of October through December is spent pushing the boundaries on our daily calorie maximums. The Gilmore girls are experts at this, agreeing one faithful year to attend four Thanksgiving dinners in one day (S3E9) and still having room for bread when it’s all over. An optimistic Lorelai knew they could do it! “What are we if not world champion eaters?” she urges. A typical Friday movie night menu at the Gilmore household includes Luke’s burgers, Chinese food from Al’s Pancake House, pizza, marshmallows, tater tots, Nutter Butters, and Pop- Tarts. Sookie and Jackson’s deep-fried turkey is no match for these two and if they can do it, so can you.
There’s so much to love about this show—the peculiar characters, the fall fashion, and the festive town just to name a few. If you’re looking for me this fall, I’ll be in small-town heaven binge-watching the best of Gilmore Girls on Netflix and eating all the fall snacks.
love, sydnee marie 