Unutterably Silly New Year traditions?

[dreams]

I started thinking about this and realized how the traditions changed as my life did. In looking back over the years, I noticed some basic traditions.

growing up: making tamales and menudo for New Year's Day.

in-between stages:

Spoiler:

1st stage: Hit the bars with friends and take the free taxi home. <-- not much different than regular weekends other than we dressed up better.

2nd stage: Party at friend's, everyone stays the night, and big BBQ in the afternoon on New Year's Day.

transition stage: many different choices each year.

3rd stage: kids now...collectively hire a babysitter for one home, someone's mother /mother-in-law stays the night there with the babysitter, then parents go out to dinner parties and pick up kids the next day. We all contribute to a nice gift for the mother/mother-in-law that stayed the night.

transition stage: family movie marathons/board games.

4th stage: kids older, so host party for them and stay home, off the road, and safe from all the crazies in earlier stages.

transition stage: party time again or out-of-town weekends.

now: stay home (off the road and safe from crazies), watch movie marathons, and sleep in my own bed. Host a New Year's Day party and serve menudo.

[GA Russell]

In the 90s I lived in Atlanta and a friend of mine would host a party every New Year's Day. It was always more fun than New Year's Eve. It was generally quiet. He had three TVs going with the sound off so that we could watch all the football games. He had four coffee pots going at all times with different flavored coffees. And he would serve a huge turkey dinner.

That was always my favorite party of the year except for my own Grey Cup party. It's one of my fondest memories of Atlanta.

[kindlekitten]

grey cup party?

[SolRaven]

dreams, I think you had really nice mix of traditions.

I wonder what I would do now if I didn't have to bartend this year???? Hmmm... I think my beau and I would go down to the Keys for a little bit. It might be busy, hard to tell since it has been chilly this year, but its such a laid back environment that it still feels relaxed even when it's busy.

[nohmi2]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

grey cup party?

+ 1.

Grey cup party?


Cheers

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by nohmi2

+ 1.

Grey cup party?


Cheers

Something to do with age, perhaps.

[nohmi2]

Originally Posted by desertblues

Something to do with age, perhaps.

I decided that I would *dye* first.

Cheers

[tubemonkey]

Not a tradition, but there's going to be a Three Stooges marathon on New Years and I'll be watching it for sure.

[doreenjoy]

Not to be a killjoy or anything, but for the past 8 years I've partied with friends of Bill on New Year's Eve.

:

[dreams]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

<snip>

That was always my favorite party of the year except for my own Grey Cup party. It's one of my fondest memories of Atlanta.

Must be something to do with sports?

Originally Posted by SolRaven

dreams, I think you had really nice mix of traditions.

Thanks. I hadn't realized how they changed over the years until this thread came up.

Originally Posted by SolRaven

I wonder what I would do now if I didn't have to bartend this year???? Hmmm... I think my beau and I would go down to the Keys for a little bit. It might be busy, hard to tell since it has been chilly this year, but its such a laid back environment that it still feels relaxed even when it's busy.

I love to walk around there (bars and restaurants, too).

Originally Posted by nohmi2

I decided that I would *dye* first.

Cheers

[astrangerhere]

Do this few people actually know what the Grey Cup is? I know what it is, but for the sake of fun, I won't tell here yet.

[GA Russell]

Guys, the Grey Cup game is the championship game of the Canadian Football League. The Grey Cup is the trophy awarded to the world champion of what I think is the greatest game in the world, Canadian rules football.

(A little history: The King's/Queen's representative in Canada is called the Governor General. In the late 19th century the Governor General was Lord Stanley, and he donated a cup for the Canadian hockey champion. His successor was Lord Grey. Wanting to do Stanley one better, he donated a cup to the Canadian rugby champion. The rules have evolved through the years. Two of the eight teams in the league, the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, were founded in 1869, the same year as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, and the same year that Princeton played Rutgers in the first US college rugby football game.)

I hosted Grey Cup parties in Atlanta sports bars from 1989 to 2001. The bars had the satellite to pick up the Canadian TV feed. I would make sure that the bars served Canadian beer, usually Molson.

Players came to the parties, including Damon Allen, Reggie Pleasant, Randy Rhino, Gerald Alphin and Ronald Williams.

One year the CBS television station sent its camera crew, and we were interviewed on the news that night!

Canadians throughout Atlanta would hear of the parties and join the fun.

So that's why my Grey Cup parties were my favorite party each year.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Do this few people actually know what the Grey Cup is? I know what it is, but for the sake of fun, I won't tell here yet.

Like, this is so easy

[dreams]

Thanks, GA Russell.
From Wikipedia:
click to enlarge

[Pookeysgirl]

My husband and I always spend new years eve on the couch watching several channels doing different countdowns. Last year we fell asleepon the couch together at about 11:45pm and woke up 5 minutes after midnight...oops.