Why would anyone throw a funeral party at the age of 20, you may ask? Aren’t I still so young? Well, to answer your questions, yes. I’m aware that I’m still young. I’m also an extremely nostalgic person and realized that turning 20 signifies the end of my beloved and extremely angsty teen years. I jokingly referred to entering my 20s as the death of my teen-hood, and my roommates seemed to think the idea was hilarious and decided that we should throw a party to commemorate this major hallmark in my life.

Just to be clear, I know that age, for the most part, is just an arbitrary number. However, I literally cannot help being extra in all that I do, so I had to jump at the opportunity of throwing a “RIP Teen Years” party.

The day began with an outing for all of the necessary supplies. Snacks are extremely important to me (shout out to being a food-loving Taurus), so I absolutely HAD to make sure that the party was sufficiently stocked with the best snacks available. And suffice it to say, the party goers had more than enough to drink, and some may have even consumed a questionable amount...

Maybe it’s my inner middle-aged mom coming out, but I truly believe in the importance of cute and aesthetically pleasing decorations. Sure, most people probably won’t even notice decorations since they’re only there to have a good time, but decorations are important to me personally and it was my party so I really wasn’t going to let anyone stop me #cutedecorationsALWAYS.

Aside from lights and paper decorations, we also set up a vigil for my teen years that featured a giant tombstone poster that said “RIP teen years,” various candles and lights, and of course, fake flowers as a sign of respect for the loss of my teen years surrounding a framed picture of a cheesy “cool teens” stock photo that I found on google images. Yes, it was over the top, but it also felt so right.

A picture of my teen years grave.

Honestly, the entire concept of the party was ridiculous, but ultimately, everyone including myself had an amazing time. I would encourage everyone to throw themselves a funeral party once they exit their teen years, because not only is it gloriously fun, but it also helped me come to terms with entering a new, exciting, and frightening time of my life: my 20s.