The third season of Stranger Things went by in a flash. Viewers managed to binge through all eight episodes in a matter of days. The most dedicated fans went through them in a single night, going to work the next day exhausted, bleary-eyed and without a regret in the world. The only regret that they probably had was that they had to keep their conversations spoiler-free until everyone around them had finally caught up and was ready to rave about the twists and argue about hidden meanings.
This description isn’t an exaggeration. Everyone clambered onto their couch and logged into their Netflix account — or piggybacked onto someone else’s Netflix account — to see what Eleven and the gang were getting up to after the last terrifying adventure. Nielsen found that more than 40.7 million viewers across the world watched the season in the span of four days.
But now that it’s over and you have to wait a whole year for the fourth and final season, what can you do?
- Eat Some Ice Cream
There were a lot of special things about this season. There was Dustin singing The NeverEnding Story to his not-so-made-up girlfriend in the middle of a horrifying car chase. There was Joyce yelling excitedly about fridge magnets. There was the endearing Russian scientist Alexei, who just wanted to watch cartoons and drink cherry Slurpees from 7-11. But undoubtedly the best part of this season was the Scoops Troop.
The Scoops Troop starts with two ice cream-slinging Scoops Ahoy workers, Robin and Steve “The Hair” Harrington, donning their adorable sailor uniforms. With the help of Dustin and Lucas’ younger sister Erica, they make up the unlikely foursome that intercepts a secret message, break into a secret lair underneath the mall and discover that Russian spies are in their small Indiana town.
You can drown your sorrows about the end of the season and honor the bravery of the Scoops Troop by eating ice cream. There were Scoops Ahoy pop-ups that showed up for a limited time after the season launch. And Baskin Robbins locations around the country have pints of Stranger Things flavors like Upside Down Pralines and U.S.S Butterscotch ice cream. If you missed these tasty promotions, don’t worry — you can make your own frozen treats at home.
Grab a pint of your favorite ice cream and make yourself a Waffle Sundae covered in chocolate sauce and slices of fresh strawberries. For authenticity, use toasted Eggo waffles—not homemade waffles — for the base of the sundae. Make yourself a dessert that Eleven would love.
- Embrace The 80’s Style
Stranger Things captures both the banal and the wild side of 80’s fashion. If you fell in love with the costumes on the show, you can find out how to copy Eleven’s mall outfits with your own graphic print shirt and old-school suspenders. It’s a lot better than her costumes from the first season.
Maybe you don’t want to dress head-to-toe in bright colors and pile your hair into a massive scrunchie. You can make a nod to the decade in a subtler way. For instance, you can get cool iPhone cases in styles that will let you be nostalgic without feeling like you’re a walking fashion faux-pas. Choose a vinyl skin for the case in bold colors and patterns like neon green carbon fiber, bulletproof banana or glossy blue.
It’s unclear if you can find any colorful cases for your walkie-talkies. They’ll have to stay undecorated.
- Play Dungeons & Dragons
Poor Will Byers. In the first season, he was kidnapped and brought to the Upside Down. In the second season, he was possessed by the Mind Flayer. And in the third season, he was still tormented — his friends refused to play a session of Dungeons & Dragons with him. He had suffered so much. The least they could do is sit down, ignore their girlfriend and monster problems for a while, and play pretend with him for a while.
If you miss the show, you should heed the advice of Will the Wise and start playing D&D with a group of your closest friends. It’s an excellent way to spend an afternoon, going on adventures and fighting fearsome monsters with only a few spells, swords, and lucky rolls.
You can start with a regular pre-made campaign from the original company, Wizards of the Coast. Or if you really love the show, you can play the Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game starter set. This way you and your party can actually play as Will, Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Eleven.
You’re not the only one who would be getting into the fantasy RPG because of the series. Wizards of the Coast has admitted that their online sales grew by 53% in 2018 and they continue to surge in popularity. It’s fair to give Stranger Things some of the credit for bringing the game into the cultural consciousness.
You can stop refreshing your Netflix page. The fourth season isn’t going to be there for a long time. There are some ways that you can fill the void that the third season left in your heart. You can use neon outfits, RPG campaigns or bowls, and bowls of ice cream. And if those fail you, you can always watch the series all over again.