There's one thing I really miss from living in California. That's the way we celebrated New Year's after our youngest son was born. In fact, I think it started the year he was three.
On New Year's Eve, we dragged the king size mattress off our bed, down the hallway, and into the family room. There, we laid it in front of the fireplace and we'd all pile on the mattress to ring in the New Year.
We had a perfect view of the large screen TV. This was, of course, long before the flat screens. But the hubs always was an TV and stereo aficionado and had the latest. It was a front projection thing of gigantic proportions. But it was great for watching the fireworks!
When they were over, we'd fall asleep, or sometimes watch a late movie. But the TV stayed on. In Los Angeles, the Rose Parade coverage started about 7 A.M. All we had to do was crack an eye open and lay in bed, watching.
It was fun and quickly became our tradition. I miss it now that we live in Georgia. The Rose Parade coverage doesn't start until ten, and by that time, I'm into my day. And of course, our youngest is 34 now, so I doubt we'd all be snuggling in the same bed. LOL
So, what's your family's New Year tradition?
5 comments:
We are stay-at-home-for-NYE people too. And, being Southern, the tradition centers around food. We make as many different homemade dips as our fridge will hold, then we graze til midnight. Sometimes we have friends over, sometimes it's just the three of us. Either way, it's been our unofficial tradition for seven years now. And New Year's Day? We bust out the leftover dips and watch the NHL winter classic! Old school hockey!
LOL - love it, Jodie! And the hubs and kid would, too, since they're diehard hockey fans. :)
Happy New Year!
Heh...fuuny tradition--the mattresses.
We follow the Traditional Southern Menu. But one year a funny thing happened...I put a dime in the black-eyed peas (tradition says it' supposed to bring prosperity) but my husband, busy watching bowl games, ate the dime! Very funny family story.
Happy New Year!
Our New Year's eves have always been kid parties. A jigsaw puzzle, lot's of leftover Christmas treats, everybody's favorite movie choice (hey, when you're a kid it's a LONG time till midnight), and the only time of year Mom would ever join in for one of those marathon Monopoly games (sheesh, I'm a lot better at CLUE). Everyone got to invite friends, too, considering younger parents were always looking for babysitters on that night, anyway. So, it was an all around good time.
New Year's Day, however, the Captain always brought out his leather-bound "prayer book." In this was listed all of the things we were specifically praying about the year before. What rejoicing and amazement to discover all of them answered! With everyday life so busy and full of distractions, we often forgot when God worked something out for us, simply because it was almost always answered in such a seemingly logical way. So, it was a great faith-builder for the whole family to remember the things that were so important to us, last year, that we had forgotten about, but God hadn't. And, oh, how earnestly everyone put their thoughts and prayers into what was written into that book for the year ahead.
Like you, Ane, our children are all grown up, now, and about the only thing we do New Year's Eve is finish off the Christmas treats and visit with friends. But New Year's Day is always the same, with the same wonderful results. The Captain gets out his leather-bound prayer book, and... oh, my gosh, who would have thought such problems could be solved!
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever..." (Hebrews 13:8)
Thank you for sharing this little exercise in realizing that we all really do have some "traditions," and all are uniquely wonderful to our own families. Happy New Year to you, Ane, and may this be your best year ever!
Aunty Belle, too funny!! I hope you didn't ask for change. LOL
Lilly, what a wonderful tradition of the prayer book. Methinks I see a new tradition developing in my family, since I'm going to adopt yours!
May your 2012 be blessed!
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