Thursday, December 30, 2010

Ringing In The New Year With Rod

You've probably been asked this a million times in the last few days, but, what are you doing for New Years Eve?  Do you have plans with friends and/or family?  Will you be going out?  Are you hosting a party?  In keeping with a tradition we started a few years ago, we'll be staying home.  I've been looking forward to it for months.

Our festivities begins at 8:00 a.m. when our friend Rod gets here.  You know Rod, don't you?

Okay, Rod Serling doesn't really come over.  That would be impossible, as well as creepy, since he died in 1975, but the SyFy channel runs an annual Twilight Zone marathon beginning at 8:00 a.m. on New Years Eve and ending at 5:00 a.m. on January 2.   We'll be watching quite a bit of it.

It will be a pretty unstructured day/weekend around here.  In addition to watching our favorite Twilight Zone episodes there will be plenty of talking and laughing.  We may play cards or Scrabble.  There will also be plenty to eat.  A variety of finger foods will be available for impromptu snacking, and they will most likely include crackers and cheese (Dubliner Irish cheese is a new fave, Willoughby House Cheese Spread is an older fave), tortilla chips with salsa, pretzels, nuts and a few fresh fruits and vegetables.  There will also be a variety of beverages which will most certainly include wine and San Juan Tea for the adults.  For dinner, the current plan is crab legs and shrimp.

I know you're probably thinking that our plans sound pretty tame, but that's just fine by us.  Before we started our tradition with Rod, we had some pretty bad New Years Eves.  The worst would be 1999, the big Y2K that everyone was so worried about.  Our daughter was just shy of two months old and still in the NICU.  We spent all night at her bedside, terrified that, if the predictions were true, the power and computer systems at the hospital would shut down at midnight.  They didn't, but it still made for a long night.

Another year, we were invited to a get together that included both adults and children.  We were told there would be activities for the kids (there weren't).  We brought a bottle of wine (and then found that none of the other adults at the party drank alcohol).  The hostess became increasingly upset that the guests were still in her home past her children's bedtime (and was vocal about it).  It remains the only New Years Eve party we ever attended where we were home by 9:30.

There were also the miscellaneous New Years Eve parties over the years where guests drank too much and became obnoxious, belligerent or sick (like not making it to the bathroom to throw up kind of sick).  Add to that last year, when I had the swine flu or a few years before that when both of the kids and I had the stomach flu. 

So if you're in the area, stop by.  You're welcome to enjoy a tame New Years Eve with the Willoughbys.  And Rod, of course.

Have you entered my giveaway, yet?  Even if you have, you can enter once per day, so click the link and enter again!  You could win a $50 Novica shopping spree!

Willoughby

9 comments:

abby jenkins said...

I have never been a big fan of NYE and can certainly see why it holds no fond memories for you....however I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of Twilight Zone and have adjusted our plans accordingly thanks to your post!

Happiest of New Year's Eves to you!

Cheers!

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

...just a quiet night here at farmhouse...sitting by the fire...having crab too...

and champagne...

happy new year greetings, my friend

kary and teddy
xxx

Holly Lefevre said...

San Juan tea intrigues me....

We do a very tame NYE. We have tried all the other variations including big parties at hotels and there i nothing more that I enjoy than just being with people I adore on NYE in the coziness of our home with our favorite foods.

I have not watched The Twilight Zone is years...thanks for thew reminder I might have to add that to the list of to-do's!

Purple Flowers said...

I LOVE the Twlight Zone. Thanks for reminding me. My husband and I love to stay home and enjoy NYE our way - quietly.

A big Happy New Year to you and family!

Unknown said...

I wish I could be playing Scrabble with you instead of working...Oh my, it's terribly busy in the most awful kind of way at work right now. Have fun with your family and Happy New Year!

Bill Lisleman said...

compared to those other eve's your planned one sounds the best. Most of the parties are over priced and just dumb. I enjoy playing board games with family and friends. Maybe we will watch Curb Your Enthusiasm since I got another season (DVD) for Christmas.

L.B. said...

My brother is big-time into board games. We've played so many awesome games recently. One of my favorites - and I bought it because it's so much fun - is Ticket to Ride. Love it. I'd rather be playing Scrabble and Ticket to Ride over at Willoughby's than going to the party we're going to. It's reached the it's-more-of-an-obligation stage and I'm just not looking forward to it.

Anyway, the Willoughby episode of Twilight Zone is creepy! Good stuff though...

Liz in Virginia said...

We attend a swanky party every year at the home of good friends -- lots of sparkles and tuxedos, and high heels that I worry about falling off of . . . It's very fun, and not decadent -- the hostess offers a blessing at midnight(!).

But I do miss my college years, when my parents hosted game night on New year's Eve. A little beer, a lot of soda, nachos and popcorn, while we played Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary all night long. Really fun and mellow. It may be time to renew that tradition . . .

The happiest of New Year wishes to you and your family! -- xo

Jenny said...

I had to laugh about your reluctant hostess story.

Sending warm wishes for a New Year filled with grace, joy and discovery!

Warm hugs from Arizona.