A Minnesota Goodbye

A Minnesota Goodbye is something most Minnesotans do, but nobody realizes it's weird until somebody from out of town is around and points out that it's weird.

Many peoples and cultures all over say extended goodbyes or have unique parting traditions. One of my friends who is originally from Georgia says that in the south, they call it lingerin'. Lingerin' means that your event has a stop time, say, 3 pm, and your guests just linger until 9, or sometimes leave and then come back.

But in Minnesota, the goodbyes are unique. A Minnesota Goodbye usually takes place in an incredibly bad location. For example, most Minnesota Goodbyes occur in the entry way of the house, and do not even begin until your heaviest winter jackets are on. This leave you roasting in the foyer with your jacket on when the Minnesota Goodbye begins. And a real Minnesota Goodbye lasts for at least 20 minutes. If you're real hardcore Minnesota (as I fancy myself) then there's a Minnesota Goodbye in the entry way and then there's another one outside. At first, it's nice to walk outside into a Minnesota winter if you've been standing inside roasting in your coat for the past twenty minutes, but after about five minutes in the frigid temps it starts to get quite chilly, especially for the host who has usually stepped outside to wave goodbye and is not wearing a jacket. The outdoor version is also twenty minutes.

Minnesota Goodbyes are much better when there's better weather.