An ode to Stars Hollow, the home away from home I always needed

September has arrived and I am more than ready for sweater weather, hot chocolate and seeing red, yellow and orange leaves cover the streets outside my house. I adore this time of year because it marks new beginnings and allows us to take a little bit of a breather before the madness that is the Christmas holidays.

But what I really love about this time of year is how much it reminds me of my forever show, Gilmore Girls. The show holds a very special place in my heart and has been the ultimate comfort to me for many years.

And I'm not the only one.

Throughout the pandemic, people have been re-watching the show and even discovering it for the very first time. The coffee filled world of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore has offered people the escapism they’ve been desperately seeking during this horrible time in our lives. Gilmore Girls has helped me switch off and abandon the realities of day-to-day life by stepping into the forever charming Stars Hollow and losing myself in the small-town drama, the complicated teenage love and the twinkling lights of this fictional home.

I’ve become engrossed in Luke and Lorelai’s complicated relationship. I’ve been frustrated at Rory for falling for Dean and celebrated when she finally gave Jess a chance. I’ve laughed at Babette and Miss Patty’s antics, two of the show’s most underrated characters, and rolled my eyes every time Taylor was on screen.

The show has its faults, of course, but it is everything I need in life right now. A warm, comforting distraction.

It has filled my heart with joy but taught me some of the most valuable lessons that I have carried with me since the very first episode when Lorelai walked across the Stars Hollow streets to There She Goes by The La’s.

Gilmore Girls reminded me of the naivety and sweetness of first love.

It showed me how important it is to be there for your friends, especially in their time of need.

It helped me see that your parents do mean well and want the best for you, even if you don’t agree with them.

It taught me about the power of heartbreak and how it can actually shape you into an even better and stronger person.

It also helped me understand that people are not perfect. Emily Gilmore is one of my favourite fictional characters ever, but she is flawed.

She’s controlling and judgemental, but she’s caring and nurturing and the most loyal character on the show. Her adoration for Rory so perfectly portrayed in Like Mother, Like Daughter when she dons that red two-piece suit and struts down the catwalk to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, all for the sake of Rory’s school fundraiser. This moment is certainly not part of Emily's repertoire. She’s classy, poised and respected and dancing to an ‘80s pop song certainly isn’t her cup of tea, but she did it because she adores her granddaughter that much.

The show taught me about the power of community, the importance of letting people in and that fairy lights always make everything look better.

It is the reason for my coffee addiction and Jess Mariano is the reason why I’ve given up on finding ‘the one’ on Tinder, because can anybody really match up to him? Please, do not say Dean.

It is the one show I can rely on, no matter what. I don’t feel like myself when I haven’t watched it for a while, because it is part of my heart now. 

It has made me laugh when I felt low, cry when things got the better of me and grin like the Cheshire Cat on happy, sun-filled Autumn days.

Life is very complicated at the moment, but I know that whenever I’m struggling here, I can always go to Stars Hollow. The home away from home I've always needed and finally found.