The New Year’s Eve Conundrum
What are you doing for New Year’s Eve this year? It’s so easy to treat the day like any other day, only to wake up on January 1st to do the same thing you’ve been doing for 8 months. So why celebrate? I’ll tell you why.
My family has been celebrating NYE for as long as I can remember. When we were kids, my sisters and I would put on a show and perform a lip-sync and group dance to my parent’s friends. We would eat, dance, watch fireworks and go to bed really, really, really late. Ah, those were the days.
When we got older and lived in Dallas, my sisters and I would go out and do something fancy. We’ve done the standard hotel dinner/room thing a few times. Another year we did a thing called Lights All Night (Dear God, don’t remind me).
Now that I’m all grown-up with little ones, the past few years have been spent with family. Whether with my own parents or in-laws, the kids have been in attendance to celebrate the end of the year. Maybe when they get older, we’ll leave the kiddos with their grandparents, but for now, we like celebrating with them.
2020 has been an (ahem, you know), and not choosing to celebrate would be a fair and totally understandable thing to do. Why celebrate a year that’s been plagued (literally) in sickness, sadness, stress, and disruption?
We celebrate it because it’s over. We celebrate because we learned things about ourselves and others that only a pandemic could force us to do. To look at what we are grateful for, what we choose to stand up for, and what is truly important.
For me, 2020 was incredibly stressful. The void of my daughter not being able to go to kindergarten for that first year of learning at a “big girl school” was tough. But I later realized I could be a witness to her schooling. She loves showing me her drawings and I can see her creativity and imagination blossom. I am grateful that her preschool was able to take her in again a few days a week so she can continue her learning while also being able to play outside with other kids.
My son did his first year of preschool and since the school was open, I was able to bring him in the morning so he can play and learn while tending to my daughter back at home. He LOVES going and I love that he loves it.
My husband has been working from home. A strenuous workload coupled with 2 little kids who want to hang out with him has left him little time for basically anything else. But he continues to work hard and provide for our family.
My mom friends have been right there with me. Doing playdates safely so our kids can spend time together and taking those phone calls/texts when things get tough. Hanging out safely with a margarita, sitting on patio chairs in the driveway, and venting with masks on has been priceless.
My in-laws have been nothing short of amazing. They have helped us with the kids so we can get work done while at the same time giving our kids the gift of time with them.
I haven’t seen my parents in almost a year, but they are available through Facetime/Duo/Zoom. I am grateful for the times my mom takes the opportunity to play with my daughter over the phone while I get away to take a shower, write, or do basically anything else.
We bought a house, which is a HUGE Bay Area accomplishment. We were set on looking for a long time and being met with lots of disappointment and frustration from being out-bid. None of that happened.
So this year, I am definitely celebrating the fact that 2020 is almost over, but also looking forward to 2021. I like the idea of celebrating it as a family, in cozy pajamas, reading books, playing games, and watching movies. We’ll order some take-out and end the year without stress surrounded by the people we love.
So 2020, since you did not receive a rose tonight, take a moment and say your goodbyes.
Hey! If a pajama party isn’t your jam, check out my post on Zulily for other fun NYE party ideas. From a backyard country BBQ to a winter wonderland, there are some fun ones!
