Celebrating The New Year

Call me boring, but wild New Years Eve parties just aren't my thing. The idea of dressing up and traveling to Des Moines for an expensive night on the town doesn't appeal to me anymore. The past few years we've done a progressive dinner with a small group of friends. Appetizers at one house, dinner at another, and dessert and games at the last home. Our children gather at the last home with teenage sitters and have their own party until we grown ups join them for dessert.

This year, dessert was at our house, which means we took a turn "hosting" the kids. Now that the children in the families are a bit older, the eldest siblings in attendance were put in charge. We left kid-friendly food, covered the new pool table, set out some games, and hoped for the best while we were gone.

It was a relaxing evening. We munched on appetizers and caught up on each other's lives, women in one room, and men in another. At dinner time, we drove across town and minutes later were sitting down to a wonderful meal. I think that was my favorite part of the evening. All the couples sat around the same table, laughing and sharing stories as we lingered over dinner. It also felt like the calm before the storm, before we rejoined our kiddos for the final part of the evening.

I wasn't sure what we'd find when we walked in the door, but I was pleasantly surprised. One child was asleep in a chair, a group was huddled around the computer, and others were playing ping pong and games on the Wii. The only visible damage was the mess from the food, snacks and koolaid we'd left for them.  

Once again we segregated ourselves. The guys played pool in the basement and gals gathered around the chocolate fondue pot upstairs. The kids ran around the house propelled by their sugar buzzes. We made it to midnight, but just barely. We counted down and cheered when midnight arrived, then the sleepy parents were perfectly content to pack up the kids and head for home.

As we blew out the candles and shut lights off, Sam had a confession to make. He solemnly opened a drawer to reveal the only casualty of the evening....a decapitated wise man from my Willow Tree nativity set. Apparently some wild play had sent the king tumbling to his demise.

The next day, I mentally replayed the night before and counted my blessings....getting to spend a relaxing New Years with wonderful friends, good health and safety for my family, and the way God has provided for us over the past year. Just like the New Years party, my life can be noisy and messy sometimes, but I'm feeling a sense of contentment and anticipation as this year begins.

The wise man figure, recovering nicely from his reconstructive gluing, seemed to wink at me from his place on the shelf.