It’s December, and you know what THAT means…it’s time to plan for the Daffodil Festival on Nantucket!
Wait - that’s NOT what “December” means? Okay, fine, first feel free to ho, ho, ho and merry merry and dreidel, dreidel, dreidel…and then hibernate for a few months so you can get fully rested and prepared for DAFFY.
What is Daffy, you ask? Why, it’s a celebration of spring! A re-opening of the island after a cold and dreary winter! A reason to picnic and day-drink in ‘Sconet! And, mainly, an excuse to dress from head to toe in festively over-the-top yellow and green!
One of the most fun quirks about Nantucket revolves around getting dressed up. And I don’t mean “dressed up” like in the Hamptons-fancy kind of way, although of course people do that, too; I mean dressed up in costume, like as elves and candy canes for Christmas Stroll, covered in tinsel kind of a thing. I mean wearing a pot of daffodils on your head or a felt flower cut-out around your face kind of a thing…and then competing to see who wore it best.
I’m one of those visitors who tends to not dress in a costume herself but likes to join in from the sidelines and cheer for those who do. Like, “You go, five lady Christmas trees with presents on your legs! Looking goood!” The best costumes tend to have power in numbers. There’s just a greater design impact when you are a bunch of trees, a full forest of friends. And I don’t possess that posse on Nantucket. Also, I tend to arrive as a daytripper – and what? I’m going to wear a reindeer suit on the fast ferry? And then all day in town? What if I want to try on a cute dress at Erica Wilson? Where will I put my antlers? Logistically, it’s just not happening.
But all kidding aside, I’ve done some soul searching about this, and I think I don’t dress in an over-the-top costume because, on Nantucket, I am always wearing a costume. In fact, I would argue that most people who love Nantucket play their own version of island dress-up, too, even just on a regular day in town.
Consider those pants, for example. Nantucket Reds are a staple in any ACK-lover’s wardrobe, and I know you bought yours at Murray’s, not J. Crew. (I bought my red shirt at Frank & Eileen on sale, but mum’s the word.) And then, there are the hats. My friend Jenna, who, for anonymity, I will call Jenna, made sure to tell me that for Daffy, she’s bringing her Peter Beaton hat. Of course she is! Duh! She’s packing her Nantucket costume for her Nantucket weekend away!
My family first started dressing the Nantucket way out of necessity. We only had two weeks to spend on this lovely sandpile, which means that if it was rainy and windy…we bought slickers to wear to the beach! (See photo evidence below.) And if the weather was colder than expected for the Film Festival, I might have had to buy one of those cute cashmere wraps everyone seemed to be wearing. And then, of course, came the baskets. (I have so much to say about my Nantucket lightship basket that I will probably pen an entire newsletter just for that purpose. Stay tuned!) Then my dad needed a pair of whale shorts. Maybe a belt or a tie from Vineyard Vines. Not to mention the Oversand Vehicle Permit t-shirts to commemorate each year and the surfer style stuff for the kids from Force Five. And thus, a Nantucket family wardrobe was born.
So you see, even when Nantucketers are not engaging in a themed dress-up weekend, they are always dressing the part of Nantucketer. And, as a person who herself feels a bit like an outsider on Nantucket - not having ever bought a home there or spent more than a month there at a time - a bit of dress up can go a long way in making you feel like you belong.
And you know what really helps you feel like you belong? Writing a novel about the place…and then inviting everyone you know to come celebrate with you on Nantucket for Daffodil Weekend! From April 28-30, I will be celebrating my Nantucket launch party for DAUGHTERS OF NANTUCKET, with a book signing at Mitchell’s Book Corner on Main Street and several gatherings for dinner and cocktails. I hope you can join me! Please email me at jgerstenblatt@gmail.com if you want more info about ideas for where to stay and how to join in the fun!
So, what to pack for Daffy? Will you need a raincoat? Perhaps. A sundress? Possibly. A warm sweater? Most probably. Something yellow or green, and a hat or wreath crown decorated by my mom and her trusty glue gun, covered in daffodils? Abso-friggin-lutely.
Because in 2023, I’m bringing my friends – and we are definitely dressing up.
xo
Julie
***Can’t make it to Nantucket?! No worries — Starting on March 14th, 2023, I’ll be doing like 20 million events on the mainland, including some in RI, MA, NY, CT and PA….and Milwaukee! Info to follow in my Feb-March newsletters. Follow me on Instagram @juliegerstenblatt for updated tour dates and locations.
Extend that book tour to Colorado. We like to read about Coasts cuz we don't have one!