Happy New Year's Eve

 

Celebrating New Year’s Eve

In past posts I included links to more information than I could give on a particular subject matter and today it will be likewise. Investigating the history on people, places and things is wise to do because being informed and educated on as much as you can is a very good thing. So as our world as a whole is celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of the New Year, go to http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years   This information will edify and entertain you. Enjoy!

As for my family’s New Year’s celebration, we choose to stay home and simply be together when the New Year is ushered in. Champagne is poured and we indulge in a little caviar and some fine cheeses. We watch the television shows that are noisy and bright, like Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest, and though it is a popular show, we would rather watch Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. If you are not familiar with this traditional show, here is a link to it. Enjoy!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL60HdslvOk

And when the ball begins to drop, we all stand together holding hands and count the seconds and at the stroke of midnight, kiss and hug each other, and sing along with the traditional New Year’s Eve song:

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And auld lang syne

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

 

Then we will take our many-times used horns and whistles (stored in our family museum) and maybe a pot or pan to bang on and stand on our front porch and scream and yell Happy New Year to our neighbors. Then we will go inside to a warm cozy house, sip the last of our champagne, kiss each other good night, snuggle in our beds, and awake to a New Year.  

Many of our family traditions have changed over the years, as I am sure yours have, too. When we were first dating and during our first years of marriage, we went out to parties, gave parties, and immersed ourselves in all the carousing and merriment. Then when the children came into our lives, celebrations changed. And on it goes. Here in our town, we have an event called First Night. 

There is so much to tell you about this event, so to make it easy for me and informative for you, please click on the link  www.firstnightwilliamsburg.org and read all about it. If you live close to Williamsburg, VA and can come, do so. If not and you like what you read, perhaps you can suggest it to your town or city to consider putting a similar event together for next year. It is great for families and with weather hopefully cooperating, it is a blast for all.

Hope you have a Happy New Year’s Eve celebration and look for my New Year’s Day post on, you guessed it,   News Year’s Day.  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

We are all so busy with the holidays and keeping up with routines is difficult, but I could not let this time of year go by without wishing all of you who take the time to read this blog and that the information here gives you the encouragement to create your family museum. And there is no better time than now to start. Take plenty of pictures capturing the moments of surprise and delight. Save some of the gift tags and bits of wrapping paper to make a collage or start a scrap book starting with this day and for all the future Christmases. This is especially a good idea for the children. When the inevitable boredom seeps into their day, help them to start a memory book, filled with photos, bits & pieces of Christmas wrappings, a personal story about all the people they shared this holiday with, the places they visited, and some of the things they did. It is so easy to forget past events and by keeping a personal journal in whatever form you wish, the words you write will keep those memories alive forever.

Here are a few photos from my family Christmas holiday. Living in a town with a colonial living history museum offers an array of holiday magic, from brilliant fireworks to handmade decorations. My family and I enjoy going to museums this time of year because they usually display artifacts from Christmases past.

In our home we have family members singing on the piano. Even the family pets.

Again I wish you & your family a

 

Merry Christmas.