How We (Don't Normally) Celebrate the New Year

Steve and I prefer not to make a fuss over New Years. However, we are parents and parents make sacrifices so their children might become more well-adjusted than ourselves. Tonight was the occasion of the last minute,"Um, OK..." Party.

1. Determined not to make a special trip out to shop for the party, we pulled everything together spontaneously. Aren't spontaneous parties the best?! That the house was still decorated for Christmas made it a breeze.

My old standby method to make the table festive, but maintain usable space. Red tea lights from Michaels, fresh balsam snips intertwined with sparkly, beaded garland.

2. Twelve teens; nine girls, three boys and not an awkward moment.

Girls happily stand around the piano and sing Phantom of the Opera. They sing it in a variety of fashions- pretty, silly, deep voice for the male parts, operatically, and so on. Sprinkled with plenty of laughter.

3. I knew having 72 champagne glasses (from daughter #2's wedding) would come in handy one day. We only needed a dozen tonight, but the effect was fun. Sparkling cider in real glass champagne flutes made toasting in the New Year a bit fancier.

4. We live rather far out in the country for some parents to make two trips to drop off and pick up their child, so a few parents stayed and visited with us. I enjoyed their company and it made it much easier for me to stay awake until after midnight.

Best Wishes for Your New Year! May Every Moment Be Abbondante!