random thoughts – Day 1,750 – (Tuesday) – new year's eve

New Year's kiss,
Dec. 31, 2024.

When I was a kid, New Year’s Eve was a big deal. Huge.

My parents often went out to a big party, and we three kids would spend the night at Mummu’s. This was no ordinary night at grandma’s though. Mummu made it an event. It was the biggest annual event of our young lives and we looked forward to it.

The magical party formula almost always included the family favorite kielbasa in the brown sugar and ketchup sauce, and enough chips and sweets and soda to sink a ship. We kids were free to indulge as much as we wanted. We ate and ate and ate. 

We played board games and watched crazy shows on TV. Some years it included silent film slapstick Keystone Cops and The Three Stooges while we waited for it to be time for the ball to drop in Times Square, complete with our own living room countdown. Mom would call at midnight to wish us all a happy new year from whatever party she and Dad were at. It was always fun.

As a married adult in my late 20s and early 30s, there was often great pressure placed on New Year's Eve. NYE was sometimes spent with a large friend group at a big hotel party with a room package that included a dinner and party in the ball room, midnight champagne toast, and brunch the following morning. It was glamorous and I loved it. Eventually, the friends splintered off after divorces and breakups and then everything was different. NYE was never that glamorous again.

NYE dinner for one.

This year, NYE at The BungaLowell is a quiet event. Kiki is padding around and asking for head rubs. In the spirit of Mummu’s parties, I had a lot of food. A seafood platter with rice pilaf was ordered from Primo’s for an early supper. The leftovers will make for a nice New Year's Day lunch. 

There were some chocolate dipped treats and a glass of wine. The midnight kiss was an early event consisting of me devouring Hershey kisses at around 9:00 while Dark Winds streamed on Netflix. By midnight, I’ll likely be in bed either reading a book or already asleep.

Lately, life's pleasure are limited to the basics – eating, reading, and sleeping. If it’s true that how New Year’s Eve into January first is spent sets the tone for the coming year, I’m looking at more food, wine, candy, books, gritty crime dramas on Netflix, and sleep. 

Assuming the NYE folklore is correct, it might be wise to swap a couple elements. More money is always welcomed, and more time spent on art and dance should probably replace some of the obscene quantity of Netflix time. Maybe there needs to be a dance around the table in one of my belly dance coin belts and some hands-on artsy activity before going to bed. You know, just in case.