There's something about this time of year I find very stressing and it has nothing to do with the fear of maxing out my credit card. It has, at times, even had me demoralized, depressed and begging for my bed. No, it's not that it's dark by 4 p.m. It's the tradition of celebrating out with the old and in with the new when I'd rather be asleep. It's New Year's Eve Parties, the bane of the fuddy-duddy.
We had a New Year's Eve party once, about 30 years ago. It was before children, before DUI checkpoints, before Dick Clark got old and passed away still looking young. I miss Dick Clark Rockin' in the New Year, like I missed Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians when I was a kid and my parents were 10 years younger than I am now.
The problem with New Year's Eve parties when you are older, is that they start late and last long. You don't eat dinner until almost ten and if the champagne doesn't knock you out then the heartburn will. I can stay up beyond midnight easily, if I don't switch to decaf at noon, but my husband, he barely makes the last segment of MASH on ME TV which ends at 8.
The one year I remember best is the millennium flip. Some folks were convinced that 1999, as it slid into 2000, was going to upend every electronic device with a clock in it and usher in the end of the world as we know it. Computers were going to go haywire, experts said, crashing in a maelstrom of lost data. I was kind of hoping for that part - especially where banks were involved - mortgage, what mortgage? I don't think I have a mortgage with you guys, prove it.
One year in particular was monumental to us. As the end of 1986 approached my husband and I were at an impasse. We had an important decision to make and we weren't sure if we should leave it to the almighty, or speed things along. Our second daughter was due and my obstetrician told us that he could schedule a C-section or induce labor, depending on which year's taxes we wanted to claim our newest deduction. We decided on letting nature take its course. Rachel was born on Jan. 2.
This year I think we'll be sticking close to home, although we've been saying that since we didn't need a babysitter. If a last minute invitation comes in I'm telling my husband he can decide whether we go or not -he's the one that can't stay awake. Maybe this year we'll just let nature take its course. Enough said.
CAROLYNN IS ALWAYS THE DESIGNATED DRIVER WHILE HER HUSBAND SNOOZES. YOU CAN REACH HER AT CP.ENOUGHSAID@AOL.COM
The problem with New Year's Eve parties when you are older, is that they start late and last long. You don't eat dinner until almost ten and if the champagne doesn't knock you out then the heartburn will. I can stay up beyond midnight easily, if I don't switch to decaf at noon, but my husband, he barely makes the last segment of MASH on ME TV which ends at 8.
The one year I remember best is the millennium flip. Some folks were convinced that 1999, as it slid into 2000, was going to upend every electronic device with a clock in it and usher in the end of the world as we know it. Computers were going to go haywire, experts said, crashing in a maelstrom of lost data. I was kind of hoping for that part - especially where banks were involved - mortgage, what mortgage? I don't think I have a mortgage with you guys, prove it.
Folks were hoarding food, gold and toilet paper. Some even fled to the wilds of the back woods to hide out from the chaos of the Millennium-Armageddon they believed the yearend would cause. Somehow, building latrines, chopping wood and beating your dirty laundry against rocks on the shore of an icy river does not sound like a New Year's Eve party I'd want to attend. Although roasting marshmallows over a campfire while the ball falls sounded like fun.
I watched most of the world's celebrations that year on TV. All day long they played and replayed the festivities from one side of the globe to the other. I remember thinking how amazing it was that we were able to watch yesterday's festivities half a world away today, and that over there it was already tomorrow. And this was before Facebook, where we can share tomorrow, what happened yesterday, today.
This year I think we'll be sticking close to home, although we've been saying that since we didn't need a babysitter. If a last minute invitation comes in I'm telling my husband he can decide whether we go or not -he's the one that can't stay awake. Maybe this year we'll just let nature take its course. Enough said.
CAROLYNN IS ALWAYS THE DESIGNATED DRIVER WHILE HER HUSBAND SNOOZES. YOU CAN REACH HER AT CP.ENOUGHSAID@AOL.COM
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