I’ve always loved Saint Patrick’s Day. There’s just something festive and upbeat and fun about the day. You get to wear green, everyone seems to be in a good mood and yes, the green beer (for those old enough to enjoy it) doesn’t hurt either.

Although as many true Irishmen (and women) will tell you, green beer is simply a cheap North American marketing ploy. (After all, the “official beer of St. Patrick’s Day” is Guinness and it surely isn’t green.) Still, while the green beer might be cheesy to some, it’s a fun part of the day.

An annual tradition for my friends and I is to go out and do our own pub crawl around the city, seeing how many pubs we can visit. The rule is simple; one beer per pub, then we move on. (Although in recent years we have switched to half pints or have just become lazy and stayed at the second or third bar we come to.)

March 17th also happens to be the day two of my friends celebrate their birthdays, so that has become an added bonus.  Then, by the end of the day, my wife and I go out for our annual St. Patrick’s Day burger. Usually by then, I’m asking for green soda water instead of beer.