Happy (Almost) New Year!

With New Years Eve tomorrow night, I've been thinking a lot about my Mom.  New Years Eve is her birthday and we always spent it with her.  As a teenager, I was a little annoyed that I was never able to go to the cool parties with everyone (well, except for once... I had fun... too much fun because I got grounded afterwards).  As an adult, there was no where else I would rather be and I wish I could go back to the days when I was a kid.

Tradition is an important thing in our family.  Now that my Mom is gone we are still trying to find our new groove for the holidays but as a kid we knew where we would be.  As a little kid, we would all go over to my Grandmother's house (my Mom's mom) and have a huge party for New Years.  At midnight we would all be ready with pots and pans.  As the ball dropped, we would run up and down the street making an insane amount of noise and shouting "Happy New Year!"  As kids, we knew we were only allowed to a certain drive way before we had to turn around.

Things were simple.  We just knew where we were supposed to be and what we were supposed to do.  After my Grandmother passed away we continued the tradition of banging pots and pans but slowly the tradition faded.  The parties got smaller as cousins married and started their own traditions.  Even my sibling and I have branched out to do different things.

As is tradition with everyone holiday, I will be spending it with family which is the one thing that remains constant.  The people might be different from year to year, but being surrounded by loved ones stays the same.  Those who can get together do and those who can't are missed.  I know that as the night goes on, I'll be thinking of my Mom and remembering all the childhood memories with a smile.

And who knows... if Abby actually makes it to midnight I may let her bang on some pots and pans to show her how to ring in the New Year right!

I wish all of you a Happy New Year!  Filled with health, wealth, and happiness!