Celebrating New Year’s the Right Way
Christmas and Hanukkah are over. End-of-the-year sales extravaganzas are taking place even as — can you believe? — retailers start to put out Valentine’s Day candy and cards. And people around the nation and around the globe are planning on ringing in yet another new year.
When I was a kid, I used to think I was always missing out on some magical New Year’s Eve excitement. The year that sticks out most in my mind was when I was 12, going on 13. My parents were separated, planning on divorce, and my mother was an entire continent away on the east coast. Right after Christmas, my father took my sisters and me to Sun Valley, Idaho, with our friends the Skulasons for a few days of skiing and to ring in the new year.
I’m one of those crazy people who never really liked skiing much. I hate being cold, and as I was the least skilled skier among my family and the friends mentioned above, whom we skied with frequently, I usually ended up skiing by myself. I also resented having to go skiing every Saturday and Sunday in the winter — living in Reno meant that great skiing was close by — unless I was sick, which wasn’t very often.
Needless to say, going to Sun Valley wasn’t exactly my dream come true that year. And what made it worse was having to sit in the condo and watch Dick Clark on television with my little sister while my older sister and her friend Ingrid went with the Skulason boys to a party, while the adults went somewhere else.
Nothing is worse for a 12-year-old than thinking you are the only one not included in the fun.
So imagine the thrill I had some years later when I went to my first real New Year’s Eve party. Not a gathering at a friend’s house, but one of those package deals at a club, complete with party hats and a champagne toast at midnight. I went with the man who is now my husband and another couple with whom we were close. What ensued was one of the most miserable nights of my life. The noise was dreadful, the place was packed so that you could barely move, drunken idiots were everywhere, and, worse, I couldn’t light up because I’d quit smoking earlier that year and John would have had a fit. This was what I was missing? What a lot of hype about nothing.
And having worked in New York City for a couple of years, navigating the puddles of vomit and extra piles of garbage on January 1 doesn’t recommend heading into Times Square to fight the crowds there, either.
These days, New Year’s Eve is usually a quiet affair, spent either at home with the kids or at a friend’s house. We pop in a movie and enjoy the fact that we don’t have to worry about traffic, drunk drivers, and obnoxiously loud crowds. (My oldest will be graduating high school in less than two years, so I am keenly aware that our cozy New Year’s Eves with the whole family are not long for this world.) And no Rockin’ New Year’s Eve on the television, either, because as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that it’s not about the forced jollity and false camaraderie that accompany these events, but being close to the ones you love and reflecting upon one’s many blessings that count the most.
For as much as I complain year in and year out about this and that, I know I am fortunate to live in the greatest nation on earth. I have the freedom to say and do just about anything I want. Compared to many around the world, I lead an extremely comfortable life, and not being able to afford a flat-screen television or the latest cell phone with a million gadgets isn’t exactly what defines hardship. It’s difficult, sometimes, to remember your blessings — but as we head into 2009, look around you and see if you don’t agree that there is more to be grateful for than to complain about.
So to all of PJ Media’s readers, I wish you the very happiest of New Years. See you on the flip side.
Completely agree! Here in rural Minnesota, it’s 22 degrees below zero this morning, with the same promised for tonight.
We had an invitation to a a friends’ home for a great evening of (sober) fun and games with people whom we enjoy all year long.
However, we will not be going just because of the weather. No sense in putting ourselves (in our 60′s) in serious danger of life and limb with a 50 mile round trip in the middle of the night when we don’t have to.
So, our more usual practice, we will be at home in front of the fireplace taking phone calls from our adult children out of state, enjoying time together quietly and probably go to bed at the usual time!
Happy New Year!
It’s called getting old I think.
As much as I enjoyed the big new year street parties i went to in my 20s in London, Sydney, Manchester and other places, i’d now much rather relax with a few select friends in the comfort of my own (or their) home with some good food, wine and conversation.
PS -22 sounds cold whether that’s F or C, it’s -4C (+25F) today here and we consider that to be about as bad as it gets.
Well, I’m going out – but to a nice restaurant then back to someone’s house to see the New Year in.
Public transport is running all night in London, which helps.
We go to a friends house, with a great meal that we all contribute to, some good wine and just “hanging out”. We’ve been doing it this way for close to 15 years. We don’t do as much with these friends the rest of the year like we used to, but we still hold this tradition, and it probably means more, since it’s the only time of the year that a few of us really spend the time together. I agree with your assessment of the typical “party night out at a restaurant with a DJ”.
I could see going out to a nice restaurant for dinner and then coming home for some after dinner drinks, a fireplace… Oh… get some chestnuts… some nice dessert… put on some of your favorite calm music. Wake up in your new year without a hangover, with your voice not all hoarse from yelling the night before, and with no regrets.
2008: A YEAR THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY:
But there is hope for 2009, including a video reminder of how to bring in the new year.
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/2009-hope-for-future.html
If you really think sitting at home beats partying, you’re just not going to the right parties. And since when does conservatism mean no parties, anyway?
I always thought fireworks were fun but now that the fire works are terrorist rockets being aimed at nursery schools and hopitals the appeal is gone.
All we did was try to clean up the mess we made in 2005 when we left Hamas in charge of Gaza.
And yet some people have the ignorance to do this
How can we let this pass?
DoubleTapper
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DoubleTapper, blogging on Guns Politics Defense from Israel
Conservatism has nothing to do with “no parties” but maturity does!
I must admit that I have never quite understood the logic or the “fun” of drinking cheap champagne (and let’s face it – most of us cannot afford anything else) knowing full well that you are going to have a killer headache in the a.m., and hanging around with a bunch of people you hardly know and wouldn’t ever invite to your home or dancing in the streets.
I’d much rather continue my personal, self-created tradition of DVRing a really great old film during the month of December (this year it was “Laura”) and then curling up in the recliner with a nice glass of good wine, a bowl of popcorn and Sam the Wonder Cat on my lap. When the movie is over (generally about 10 p.m.), Sam and I get ourselves settled into a nice long winter’s nap and then we’re up and around nice and early on New Year’s Day and productive while everyone else is groaning or exhausted!
i live in Manhattan but never ever will go to the Times Square because
1.it could very easily be a target for the next after 9-11 terror act by Kremlin
2.it is a show for tourists and i hate tourists and all those united nations bureaucrats that are a part of New York crowd unfortunately to such a great extend
3.i hate idiotic guitar rock music that is a signature for subversion, drunkenness and stupidity
Should admit that this year they had some really nice R&B act there. That – i like.
Lovely piece.