23 Deployment Bucket List Goals for St. Patrick’s Day

Chances are, you probably have at least a little bit of Irish heritage in your family tree. And even if you don’t, you probably don’t mind too much when St. Patrick’s Day comes around. On March 17, it seems that everyone is Irish. If you live near a city, you’ll probably have ample ways to celebrate. If you’re in a more rural area or living on base, the options might not be so plentiful.

But here’s the great news– you can make your own celebration with your deployment bucket list.

If you read Jo, My Gosh! a lot, you probably know that I am a huge proponent of deployment bucket lists. Not only did one help me get through a year-long deployment when John was in Afghanistan, but I’ve watched other military spouses and significant others rock deployments with the help of a bucket list, too.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of a deployment bucket list, buckle up. Here’s the five-second explanation. A deployment bucket list is just a list of goals you have for yourself (and perhaps your kids if you’re a parent) to complete during deployment. They don’t have to be hard-hitting ones like losing 100 pounds or getting a promotion at your job. They can be achievable in just a few minutes– like taking a bubble bath on a Friday night or trying a new way to workout. Having a mix of kinds of goals makes your bucket list fun and engaging– after all, you want to be able to cross some of them off to keep you motivated and interested in completing your list. The number of goals is up to you! (I had 100 on mine but I didn’t complete the whole thing.)

It’s always a ton of fun to add some holiday or season-specific goals to your list because they help you explore where you live (let’s be real: military families are often living places they’re not too familiar with) and it helps get you out of the house (and let’s be real again: sometimes deployments make us a little more hermit-y than we normally are).

Of course, you don’t have to put this entire list on your bucket list. You don’t have to put a single goal from this list on it, either! Use this list as a way to get your creative juices flowing– think about the kinds of things that you love doing and the things you wish you made time for. This is a jumping-off point. The luck of the Irish be with you!

1. Listen to Celtic or Irish music on Pandora.
2. Dye your milk green.
3. Make shamrock cookies. (Here are a bunch of Irish-themed cookie cutters!)
4. Eat Lucky Charms for breakfast.
5. Go to a bagpipe or Celtic music concert.
6. Try your hand at making corned beef and cabbage.
7. Enjoy a cup of tea.
8. Make Irish potato candies.
9. Wear green.
10. Watch the Lord of the Dance.
11. Visit an Irish pub in your area.
12. Create and send a St. Patrick’s Day care package. (Here are 17 ideas to get you started!)
13. Find a St. Patrick’s Day parade in your area and attend.
14. Hunt down some Irish history in your area… it’s probably easier than you think!
15. Create a green feast of all green foods.
16. Make Irish soda bread. (Here’s a kit!)
17. Send St. Patrick’s Day cards to friends and family.
18. Treat yourself to a full Irish breakfast: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and potatoes. (And if you’re not making it yourself, believe it or not, you can buy it on Amazon.)
19. Enjoy a Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s.
20. Watch Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade livestreamed.
21. View the Book of Kells online.
22. Enjoy some chocolate coins.
23. Use one of these Irish blessings for military families as a toast.

More Bucket List Help:

• Here’s Why Milspouses Need a Deployment Bucket List
• How to Write a Deployment Bucket List That Doesn’t Suck
• 128 Goals to Put on Your Deployment Bucket List