Holiday Memories of YesterYear: New Year's Eve

Welcome back to the final Holiday Memories of Yesteryear for 2019!  As a reminder, this is just a rambling stream of consciousness as I remember events and moments from holidays gone by.

New Year's Eve was never a big event in my family growing up.  My parents often went to bed around 9pm on a regular night and maybe stayed up to 10pm on New Year's Eve.  A few times, we would go to my Dad's cousin's house in New Jersey for dinner and then drive home about 8pm.  I remember being sleepy in the backseat as my Dad listened to the New York Rangers game on WFAN, the AM radio sports station in New York.

When I was in high school, one of my best friends and a fellow goalie on the hockey team invited the family over for a party.  We'd often stay until about 12:15 and then head home.  We went for a few years but stopped once we were in college.  I made a fool of myself singing karaoke a few times (the only and last time I've done that), and one year, my brother *allegedly* had a little too much to drink and backed over their mailbox.

Of course, my senior year I had some of their finger foods... pigs in a blanket... and found myself throwing up all night long to the point that I slept until 8pm the next day.  I'm sure my parents thought I was drunk, but I didn't even have anything to drink, and it was really just the food.

Once I met my wife in college, we spent every New Year's Eve together.  We never went to a big party; just sat on the sofa, had some drinks and good food, and enjoyed each other's company.  After I was furloughed from my first airline, I was upset that I had to work my first New Year's Eve at my new airline.  I was in Manchester, New Hampshire and I stayed up on the phone with her past midnight even though I had a 4am van to the airport for work the next morning.  I think I was more upset than she was.

One year, while I was basically living in her parent's basement between days away at work, we joined her parents at the bowling alley where her Dad bowls in a league.  They had a big party with food and drinks, music, flashing party lights... the works.  It was a bit empty and we really enjoyed ourselves.  

The following year, the place was packed and had about half the food they had provided the year before.  On top of that, it was icy and freezing rain on the way home after midnight, and there were all of the drunks on the road, and we decided that even though we had a pretty good time together, that was the end of that.

Since 2012, we've owned our own home and have spent every New Year's Eve together on our own sofa.  We get Chinese food and watch TV... usually one of the many marathons on.  The past few years, we've watched The Walking Dead (before it sucked) or the Breaking Bad marathons on AMC.  Around here in New York, WPIX always has the Honeymooners on after the ball drops.  We used to watch a few episodes before heading to bed, but lately, it's all we can do to stay awake!  You can read all about my favorite Honeymooners episodes on the blog here.   Of course the Twilight Zone marathon on SyFy is another required viewing, for a few episodes at least.  There will be a post about that soon, too!  Keep an eye out.

Like most holidays around the end of the year, New Year's Eve is about spending time with loved ones.  I honestly think it's my second favorite holiday because my wife and I just hunker down in our warm house and spend the time together with our little tradition of Chinese food and TV.

With a little one on the way, what will next year bring?