What A Northerner has Learned from the South

In response to this post, I did want to create of list of things that a northerner has learned from the south below. I have been here almost 10 years and would never leave it!

1. "Y'all" is the best word ever. It is casual and all-encompassing and I picked it up almost immediately. It feels good to say it to my northern friends, just as it feels good to call a coke a "pop" down here. I will, however, never say "ain't" unless it is for southern emphasis.
2. You can monogram anything. Seriously, and I love it! From baby butts to car windows, you will see monograms on anything and everything in the south. The availability of customizing your name or initials on items in this day in age excites me. Because my name is a little strange, I was never able to find pre-made name items as a child.
3. Fancy dress is common in the south. Although it might not exactly be on trend, Charleston is full of seer sucker clad, boat shoe wearing, bow tie donning, hat displaying folks that get really fancy whenever possible. Be it a football game or a wedding, it is fun to dress up in the south. the first time I went out with a group of girlfriends I was the only one wearing jeans and a "cute" top. They were dressed to the nines in dresses and heels for a night out at the bars. I was a little embarrassed, but I am a fast learner and quickly stocked my closet appropriately. Since then, I have gotten a little more lax with the "dress code," but that may have more to do with age and effort than anything else.
4. Invitations and parties follow Emily Post, as she is held to the highest regard when speaking of formalities and etiquette. I never heard of her until I moved here, and I think I could have done without her, at least until my wedding...
5. If you are not named a family name, consider yourself unloved. There is a lot of talk about future baby names at this stage in my life, and most of them contain the mother's maiden name. Personally, I think my maiden name (Pahs) is too weird to be a first name, but that wouldn't stop most southern women. It is also common for a woman to take her maiden name as her middle name when she marries, and I did do that.