16 Ways To Prep For A 'Gilmore Girls' Marathon

Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life is fast approaching, and many fans, including myself, are preparing for this momentous occasion with a massive Gilmore Girls marathon. Whether watching on Netflix or on TV, alone or with your mom who's also your best friend, preparing for the ultimate Gilmore Girls marathon should not be taken lightly. If you are interested in watching the show on TV, the Up network is airing all 153 hours starting Friday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. ET and ending on Friday, Nov. 25 at 3 a.m. A Year In The Life is set to air on Netflix starting at midnight on Nov. 25. So basically, if you want to spend your entire Thanksgiving vacation watching nothing but Gilmore Girls, you can do that, and hey, I'm with you.

Others will choose to watch the show's seven seasons on Netflix, the marathon-ing platform of choice. However you do it, if you plan to watch a lot of Gilmore Girls at once, you're probably going to want to prepare. You don't want to end up like Lorelai and Rory slumped over at the dance-a-thon, after all. Here are my 16 recommendations for how to prepare for the ultimate Gilmore Girls marathon, whether you're watching alone or with a group of Gilmore Girls-loving friends.

1. Stock Up On Coffee

No Gilmore Girls marathon would be complete without a large amount of coffee, so make sure you have a coffee maker and beans ready, or a coffee shop (or diner) near by. You'll need it.

2. Get In Your PJs

Take the marathon as an opportunity to treat yourself in true lazy Gilmore style.

3. Make (Or Order) Diner Food

Honor Luke's Diner by buying fries, burgers, and, of course, pie. You can either find frozen varieties at the grocery store, or grab some from a local diner.

4. Make Sure You Have Takeout Menus

You'll need to refuel quite a few times during this marathon, so you should make sure that, like Lorelai, you have vast quantities of Chinese takeout and pizza menus on hand.

5. Get In Your Yale Gear

If you don't have a Yale sweatshirt, you can still channel Rory in any college gear you might have around your house.

6. You Might Have To Eat Some Vegetables

Sorry, Lorelai, but to keep up the energy necessary for this marathon, you might have to eat something healthy once and a while.

7. Prepare A Pros And Cons List

You should take this opportunity to look at the show as a whole and make your predictions for the new season. Take a page from Rory's book and make a pros and cons list for Rory's three loves: Jess, Dean, and Logan.

8. Get Your Snow Gear Ready

If it snows during the marathon, you owe it to Lorelai to run around in it, or ideally take a walk through your quirky town.

9. Find Someone Who Hasn't Watched Before To Watch With You

Watching a familiar show with a friend who hasn't seen it before can be a fun experience for both of you.

10. Find (Or Create) A Fun Drinking Game

Whether you're sipping coffee or something stronger, a drinking game is another fun way to appreciate a familiar show in a new way. You can use Bustle's excellent rules, or make up your own based on your favorite Gilmore-isms. Just be careful, OK?

11. Remember Dessert

This is a no-brainer.

12. Prepare Those Around You For Increased Quippy-ness

An effect of watching too much Gilmore Girls, I've noticed, is I start talking really fast, but I can get a little more sarcastic than usual. Especially if you're visiting family, make sure they know what's up.

13. Invite The Sookie Of Your Friend Group To Join You

If one of your friends happens to be an amazing cook, see if that person will help you prepare one of the recipes from the Unofficial Gilmore Girls Cookbook, or just bring pie.

14. Prepare A Gilmore Girls Reading List For Breaks

You'll probably need a break from the screen once and a while, so do what Rory would do and read a book. For maximum festivity, read one of Rory's favorites.

15. Keep Pop-Tarts On Hand

Because they taste like freedom and rebellion and independence.

16. Take Notes

Since you have the opportunity to review the series, do so with a critical eye, whether that means ranking the episodes in order of preference or making a list of events you think will happen in A Year In The Life.

There's less than a month left until the new season of Gilmore Girls airs, so you should probably start preparing and re-watching the series. However, I'm sure if you don't make it through the marathon, Rory and Lorelai will understand:

But I believe in you, Gilmore fans.

Image: The WB, Giphy (17)