Celebrating New Year’s Eve

As exciting as Christmas was, New Years Eve was always one of my favorite times.

When we were little, Mom, Dad and all the neighbors would get together at one house. Then all of the kids usually were at our house. What fun!

One year sticks out in my brain as a little wilder than usual, with 12 kids in one house and the older siblings baby sitting. Kids were scattered all over the house. My little brother, who at that time was about four, decided he wanted to see if he could hold the blender blades when it was turned on, because he was pretty strong.

Well, I guess we all know how that turned out. Poor Patty, she had to call my folks to come home and take him to the ER. Stitches and half the night gone, home they came. Next morning my brother was standing there with a butcher knife in his hand, that he had picked up to put on the counter. Me being the big sister and watching out for my injured brother….said, “mom said you are never supposed to touch knives,” then I pulled it out of his hands. Yep, back to the ER…restitch and add a few more.

My other incredibly memorable New Year’s Eve, was when I was about 14. As usual I was babysitting. 50 cents an hour..always hoping for something good on TV. I was so excited Dick Clark had a new show…Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve. If that wasn’t groovy enough, Three Dog Night was going to play, I had all their albums, and to actually see them perform was so awesome. Then end the program with the Waterford Crystal Ball being dropped… How could the New Year not be fantastic…now to get a little older to see what that kissing at midnight was all about.