Inauguration Day – love it or hate it – is fast approaching.  Maybe your candidate won and you want to express your happiness; maybe your candidate didn’t win and you have blackened out the 20th on your calendar and need some ways to cope.  Happy or sad we give you some ideas for experiencing January 20^th, 2017 as the historic day it will be.… And as always, winners get to go first.

Supporters of Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America (Donald Trump supporters) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

For those whose candidate is taking the oath of office, here are some ways to feel part of the team:

1. Go to Washington DC – There are plenty of things to do in D.C. even if you weren’t invited to the ball!  Get presidential with Trump as he is sworn in at 9:00 AM, if you don’t have tickets to the ceremony you can view the swearing in on videos screens at the National Mall.  After the swearing in watch the ceremonial parade on Pennsylvania Avenue.  Planning to stay overnight?  You should have looked earlier –  Trump’s International Hotel Washington D.C. is booked!

2. Get Together – Embrace our 45th President, Donald J. Trump with an Inaugural Ball of your very own.  Dress up for your ball as you know Donald and Melania will look amazing and you should too!  Of course guests should be drinking some Trump bubbly just for the occasion.  But for sure you will need napkins because your hors d’ouevres should consist of fast food bites from KFC and various selections from Burger King and McDonalds in honor of POTUS’s big night.  For a party game have your guests put their predictions for this presidential term in a box and seal them up to share with everyone on your next Inauguration Day Party in eight years.

3. Read a Book – You know what they say, to know him is to love him… As a build up to Inauguration Day, jump into one of the many best sellers about and/or by Donald Trump.  Here are just a few: Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again, Time to Get Tough: Make America Great Again!, Trump: The Art of the Deal.

4. Show your pride – If you have to go to work, (January 20th is a Friday after all), then live stream the festivities.  Pass out and wear a Donald Trump lapel pin while you are drinking coffee out of your “Make America Great again” mug.  Sit back and enjoy the next four years!

For those whose candidate will not be doing the annual turkey pardon on Thanksgiving this year, instead of overdosing on Nyquil and staying in bed on Inauguration Day, try these surefire coping mechanisms:

1. Go to Washington D.C. – Exercise your First Amendment right and join on of the many peaceful protests planned on Inauguration Day.  Be one of the 200,000 expected to show up for the Women’s March the day after the inauguration. Or, take part in one of a number of other demonstrations planned on the 20th to speak out for the rights of LGBTQ, minorities, immigrants, and climate change awareness.  Can’t get to D.C.?  This list shows planned protests in many states including D.C. and Canada.

2. Get Together – Gather your friends to discuss the future of our country.  Obviously if January 20th is making you jittery then coffee is out of the question! Alcohol would be more appropriate.  Lots of alcohol!  Maybe sample a woman brewed beer that is scheduled to be tapped on Inauguration Day called “Make Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer”  brewed by female brewers as a protest against the upcoming Presidency- though you will have to host the party in Denver, as that’s where it’s being tapped.  If you do manage to get your hands on some, you can take pride in the fact that your hangover is for good causes as a one dollar donation from each pour will be made to local charities.   For a party game have your guests put their predictions for this presidential term in a box and seal them up to share with everyone on your next Inauguration Day Party in four years.

3. Read a Book – If you find yourself trying to stay away from news then now is the time to pull out some good books.  We suggest some comic relief from Gary Trudeau who has poked fun at Presidents since 1987 with Yuge!: 30 Years of Doonesbury on Trump.  De-stress with an adult coloring book and get your anger out at the same time with Calm the F*ck Down, An Irreverent Adult Coloring Book.  If comics and coloring aren’t your style then try a fairytale  Make Fairyland Great Again: Fractured Fables for a National Nightmare.

4.  Show your pride – Choose to celebrate democracy and that you are a citizen of the United States of America.  Wear your American Flag lapel pin and toast the fact that you live in a democratic society with your American Flag mug.  Roll up your sleeves and get to work, it’s going to be a rough four years.

Whatever you do, whatever side you’re on, remember: Getting involved is always the best way to bring about the change that you want.  No better day to start than Inauguration Day.