Several blogs and a number of my friends on Facebook raised the question of what to do on New Year's Eve to celebrate it well as a Catholic family.
One person's lament bemoaned the fact that because of kids, New Year's Eve no longer holds any special interest because, well, they don't attend exciting parties every year like the good old days before children. While it is true that unless one decides to get a sitter or family member to watch the kids, the prospects of going out for a night on the town aren't promising once a kid or two (or a few) come along I don't think the fun of New Year's is gone for family life. Perhaps the "good old days" weren't really all that good after all?
I have discovered over the years that it's actually a lot more fun to party with my kids than a bunch of drunken revelers at a public party. We eat good food, play games and just enjoy time together. When possible we have extended family over too.
I've pretty much given up on trying to mark the midnight passing into the New Year by watching the Time's Square "ball drop". The TV coverage is just too nasty and vapid for family consumption. So we drink champagne to toast our own countdown and the kids drink sparkling cider and then we pray and go to bed.
I know that the holiday has passed, but I like to hear about how other families celebrate so that I can share it "pre-Christmas" next year for the enlightenment of us all.
Please post your traditions and ideas!
