Happy New Years, Slug Style

Yeah.  We never really got New Years.

Mate and I have been to a couple of parties, thrown by friends, and when we were young, we worked through the New Year a couple of times.  We've had people over to watch movies, watch the ball drop, and go home, and we've always let the kids stay up.

But really?

Not our thing.

So last night, we were all set up to watch the Thin Man marathon, only it didn't happen this year, so we watched Abbot and Costello movies and that was fun too.  I made ham (apparently I make ham that tastes like candy.  Chicken thinks this is proof of my magic powers.  I think it's proof that I could probably turn broccoli into a heart attack if someone gave me enough brown sugar and butter) and for the kids that was a big deal.  (We never had a ham when they were growing up.  I've come to appreciate the beauty of ham as I've aged.)

We drank sparkling cider, ate potato chips, and counted down from 59 when the ball dropped.  In the meantime, Mate and I, inspired by the Jack Reacher movie which we both liked a lot, read the very first  book by Lee Childs on our respective electronic devices.  (This is interesting to do, because the books sync to the last place the book was read, REGARDLESS of who was reading it.  I caught a lot of crap about reading like the wind last night, but I don't read NEARLY as much as I used to, so I HAVE to read like the wind or I wouldn't read at ALL!)

The little kids stayed up until 12:30 (they were a MESS) and the big kids quibbled about who would watch what on the television.

And then the ball dropped, and we toasted each other with apple juice, and went to bed.

Chicken stopped by our room, where Mate and I were reading, and said, "That was nice.  But next year, I sort of want to party like a college student."

We said that would be fine.

And it will be.

But I got my best Christmas wish-- one more year, probably the last, with all my kids being my kids as the New Year dawns.

I got to read a book.  Booyah!

Happy New Years everyone.  If you've got hangovers, drink water.  If you don't, may you hit the right sales.  If you're not going shopping, enjoy the quiet.  I'm all ready to see what the world's gonna do this year--and as long as there's no more campaign commercials, I think it's going to be fine!