Well, that was different

For the first time in what I can't remember when, we didn't go to a New Year's Eve party.

We weren't invited to any. And, ta da, we weren't devastated.

Actually, it was quite nice.

I figured our New Year's Eve would be a quiet one when, by Wednesday, none of our neighbors talked about having a get-together, as we usually do at somebody's house for this particular moment. Thursday came, and not one word. Then New Year's Eve day, and nothing.

We didn't have to prepare an appetizer. Or come up with a side dish. We didn't have to buy a bottle of champagne, although we had one on hand from a week or so ago, just in case.

That was fine with me. I ended up watching one college bowl game after another, content as a clam in its shell in the sea, snacking on Cheez-its and soft drinks.

There was an added bonus. The weather was lousy, with a light rain falling most of the day and into the early evening. That meant no fireworks going off to annoy us or send my cat into bewildered hiding.

It was kind of neat. The Ohio State-Georgia semifinal College Football Playoff game turned out to be a thriller that went almost right up to the midnight hour. With just a few minutes to go, I looked out our front window and noticed most of our neighbors' house lights were off. Everybody, it seemed, was home or off to a separate non-neighborhood party.

I turned the TV to ABC and we watched the crystal ball at Times Square slowly drop in its awkward countdown. When the New Year arrived, prompt and on time as usual, we shared an old married couple's kiss and klinked together our week-old champagne from heavy iced tea glasses. 

I don't know if all of this was a symptom of our advancing years, but it all seemed somehow appropriate.

And, surprisingly, we both managed to stay up for the ball drop. We were wide awake at midnight, which almost never happens. It must have been that nap we took at 3:30.

•   •   •

I don't know what Kim has in mind for our New Year's Day meal, if she has any plans at all.

She's a girl who is sometimes rooted in tradition, which usually means black-eyed peas and collard greens are somewhere on today's menu. Yuck. I've never been a fan of unappealing New Year's meals. Back in Pennsylvania Dutch country, from where I can draw my roots, the traditional meal was German-based, featuring pork chops and sauerkraut.

I think all this is built around wishes for good health and good fortune for the coming year, but eating something you're not crazy about seems a bit counter-productive to me. Why start the year off with a belly purge?

I guess if worst comes to worst, we can have a Chinese meal, or perhaps Mexican.

Or, if nothing else, I think I still have some Cheez-its and champagne left over.

Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year. I think we deserve it.