If you don’t like Gilmore Girls, just don’t tell me + a Stars Hollow photo shoot

I get it. You think they talk too fast. You think it’s unrealistic. Or boring. You don’t see what all the hype is about.

Can we just agree to disagree?

I think their witty fast-talking is part of what keeps it interesting. I think the writer and creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, is a genius.

The characters are people I want to be best friends with. And the town? Oh, the town. I’ve never been more in love with a fictional setting. Stars Hollow encapsulates everything I love about a small-town atmosphere. Everyone knows each other. They band together and rely on each other. They feel each other’s sorrows and celebrate each others’ successes. The local diner has the best coffee and an owner who knows you by name. There are town traditions and celebrations for every holiday, and holds quirky events like knit-a-thons and dance marathons. There’s a town troubadour, for heaven’s sakes.

There’s nothing like Gilmore Girls on TV. Nothing that quite gives you that nostalgic, longing feeling for people who say what they mean (and with so much wit) and who live in an idyllic town and eat all sorts of junk food and coffee with no unhealthy side effects.

You Gilmore Girls naysayers might say, “Oh, I didn’t grow up with it, so that’s I don’t feel any attachment to it.”

I didn’t grow up with it either. I didn’t even know people were crazy about it. In fact, I didn’t watch GG until years after the season finale. My friend Briana Hallstrom, who I worked with when I was an associate editor of Utah Valley Magazine, introduced me to the show and lent me each precious season until I’d watched them all. And guess what? My husband watched them with me. And like them. The fact that he can appreciate their wit makes me love him even more.

This was the very first show I’d ever gotten into as an adult. So, yes, there are some first-love reasons for my obsession with Gilmore Girls. It showed me that TV shows can actually add value and enjoyment to your life. And that you can have recurring dreams of meeting the main characters of said show where you automatically become best friends, because, duh. Lorelai would totally like me.

For my 26th birthday, my husband handed me the complete season set of Gilmore Girls. Since this was in the pre-Netflix days and also the newlywed, pre-making-money days, Clay had stalked our local classifieds for each season, driving across the state to procure all seven of them.

So, I cried when he handed them to me.

I watched the entire season another time through, and finished shortly before I gave birth to our second child. We finished our first right before we had our first child, so watching Gilmore Girls each fall, especially when I’m pregnant, has become sort of a tradition.

After watching GG a second time, I was still a high from discovering a TV show I liked enough to watch an entire season of — twice. But I also felt sad, because what could ever compare? Would I ever get into a series like I did with that one?

My TV-loving husband sure hoped so.

Luckily “Parenthood” came out, and I fell in love with that. Bonus that Lauren Graham was in it too!

Still, nothing will ever compare to my first TV love.

And that’s why you probably just shouldn’t tell me if you dislike Gilmore Girls.

Here are some photos from a little photo shoot I threw together just in time for the revival. My parents, my husband, my good friend and my cousin, Taylor Kiser, obliged my last-minute request and pulled together to play Gilmore Girls.

First, we had to dye my blonde-ish hair darker. The spray actually turned out red and made my hair stiff as a board, not exactly the look we were going for, but oh well. We just laughed. Lorelai would have.

My cousin, Taylor Kiser, was so kind to be our photographer. Good thing she’s a huge Gilmore Girls fan, too.

Taylor Doose, Emily, Rory, Lorelai, and Luke

My friend Jen was so sweet to jump into this photo shoot last-minute for me. Of course she came up with the perfect costume.

Thank you, Brendid.com, for all the fun quote prints!

My mom makes a great Emily.

Here’s my stepdad as Taylor Doose. He was a good sport.

We had so much fun pretending my hometown was Stars Hollow for an hour. Now I want to do it again with more time, better planning and better hair. 🙂 Tell me if you know of any lookalikes!