In years past, Mark and I have hosted several New Year’s Eve parties. Not the glamorous sort with flowing champagne, cocktail attire and live music. Although…One year we had a champagne glass pyramid. Another year we convinced my brother to play Auld Lang Syne on my piano, which he did with his typical flair.
So, really, I guess we were just missing the fancy clothes. And when I think about the pantyhose and girdles and pointy shoes involved in that mess, I don’t believe I actually “miss” fancy clothes after all.
This year, we really kept a low profile. Between a 15-month-old baby, a family get-together scheduled for New Year’s Day, and Mark scheduled to work on both Wednesday and Friday, there wasn’t much we could do.
Until I decided to invite Chelley and Smitty to come over. (I invited Triple and Mad Dog, too, but they had made plans with Triple’s sister back when they thought we could head up north and go with them.)
It was then that a Very Special New Year’s Eve Girls Night was born. I bought People magazine and junk food and grabbed 13 Going on 30 out of the $5 bin. I pulled out the three semi-chick flicks I own (I rent movies, folks; I don’t buy them!), and covered many mini pretzels in white chocolate. I even put green sprinkles on them.
Sprinkles on the pretzels, not the movies.
And then Mark got off early. And Smitty brought over a movie. And Chelley suggested board games.
It was then that a Very Special New Year’s Eve, circa 1993, was born.
Just like Smitty and I did during our freshman year of high school, we all ate Cool Ranch Doritos, drank Mountain Dew and watched A Far Off Place.
We also played a torturous game of 90s Trivial Pursuit – It is harder than it sounds, people! Did I sleep through the 90s or what? – and several rounds of Taboo. Mark had the good grace to lose every game, as is only appropriate when you crash a VSNYEGN. And I showered my closest friends with much spit as I said repeatedly, “Shhh! There’s a BABY sleeping here!”
I know it doesn’t sound like it…but we really had a good time. It’s my educated opinion (based on years of junk food research) that you just can’t beat the combination of rot-your-teeth-sweet Mountain Dew and oh-so-ranchy Cool Ranch Doritos.And A Far Off Place? Well, that one started as an inside joke and has now become a tradition we will repeat every New Year’s Eve.
Just kidding, Chelley.
It’s actually a 15-year-old sad and serious Disney movie starring Reese Witherspoon that Smitty and I watched back in the day. And though we finished the original movie marathon (that also included Jack the Bear, a realllly sad Danny Devito movie) feeling slightly depressed and confused about her mom’s taste in movies, we also latched on to a running gag in the film about cat food being confused for pate.
I don’t know. We were 14. It was funny then.
And okay, it was funny this time around, too.
But the best part of the whole thing was spending the evening with three of my favorite people – Mark, Smitty and Chelley. That, my friends, is how to ring in the New Year!
I know this question is coming about, oh, 8 days too late…but how did you celebrate New Year’s? What your favorite/craziest/funniest New Year’s memory?
