Get ready for the New Year!

We can't stop it, there's no getting around it. It's just like birthdays - New Year's Eve comes whether we want it to or not. For some people, that means the dreaded beginning of another year of broken resolutions, for others it’s simply a passing of time. For me, it’s a symbol that life goes on.

Okay, so maybe that sounds a little cheesy, but my point is that as I get older, time goes faster and faster. I’ve come to appreciate how quickly it goes and how precious it is. New Year’s Eve gives me a chance to really take a moment and reflect on the previous year. It’s almost like another Thanksgiving.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting together with friends to ring in the new year with a party as much as the next person, but something I’ve come to appreciate over the past few years is more about the reflection of the year that’s just finished than the party. Taking the time to look back on where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished, what you have to be proud of and even what you’ve learned from the mistakes you’ve made. And although we don’t specifically make “resolutions,” we do try to look ahead to the coming year and consider all the new chances we’ll have to do the things we want to.

My family was never big on resolutions. In fact, I think they never made resolutions at all. It was more something that we did as kids with our friends because we knew it was a tradition than because we really meant to make and keep them.

Growing up, my parents would have a few friends over and the adults would hand out upstairs and us kids would spend the evening in the basement playing, enjoying the freedom to stay up until past midnight. Some years one of the families would bring crafts for the kids to do to keep us busy. I remember making funny paper hats to wear as we rung in the New Year.

As I got older, we would go our separate ways. Some years we would have a New Year’s party at the church with the youth group and parents. Now, it’s up to my husband and I to decide where we go and what we do. This year I’m feeling a little homesick after spending the holiday away from family and the comfort of my own home. Although I don’t really want to spend the New Year at home by ourselves, I get the feeling that no on will want to make the trip here, so we may end up going to a friend’s to celebrate.

It’s funny to see how different people celebrate – some of our friends barely note the passing of midnight as we just enjoy visiting with them while others play games up until around 11:30 or so and then turn the TV on to watch the ball drop. I guess the point is that regardless of what you’re doing, you’re with friends. And isn’t that what it’s really all about?

I’ve heard some people say that whatever you’re doing at midnight will set the tone for your entire year. Maybe that’s where the tradition of kissing your love at the stroke of midnight is such a big hit! But even though I’m tempted to be a homebody this year, I guess there’s really no better way to celebrate than to be surrounded by family and friends.

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Get ready for the New Year!

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