All through college, my favorite time of the week was at 4 o’clock on Friday…the start of Happy Hour! It was wonderful – great friends, great music, and great beer. My love for happy hour continued post-college, but it seemed that my friends didn’t love it as much as I did, and over time I didn’t go as often. Now, don’t feel sorry for me yet.

My New Happy Hour

When we moved into our townhouse almost two years ago, I found that some of my neighbors also had a love for drinking alcoholic beverages at the end of the work week. We would take turns knocking on each other’s doors with wine, and we’d end up outside chatting away till our men got home. And after that…friends would start to show up, and next thing you know, it’s 1 am and we have a party! What a wonderful tradition. It’s the Autumn Drive Happy Hour!

We partake in this fun event a few times a month in the warmer weather. The fun of it is sitting outside and enjoying the fresh air. So, now that the weather is turning around and Friday was a warmer day, I hunted down my neighbors and we planned for our first Happy Hour of the year. It started out small. Myself and 2 of my neighbors. We started light, just some wine in our small front yard, but as more people show up, the rowdier it gets!

Half the Neighborhood Hates It

Our neighborhood is split into halves. First, the next generation half, is where we live. It consists of mostly people in their 20’s and early 30’s. There are few children. The other half is the 55 and older half. Now, you can see how the two don’t mix very well. Everyone is polite and smiles at one another, but each side knows that the two halves do not make a good whole. So our nosy older neighbors HATE when we have our happy hours. I would understand if we were outside and loud to the wee hours of the morning, but most of the time, we are considerate and bring the party inside when it starts to get late. I guess it’s all part of neighborhood living. Especially in such close quarters.

I look forward to this small little event. I get to bond with my neighbors and that makes me happy. We have many warm months ahead, so let the fun begin!

How do you get along with your neighbors? Do you have any great neighborhood traditions?