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| Chez Sarge at night. |
Nope, people die every year, every day actually. Famous people, infamous people, every day people. It happens, it has nothing to do with what year it is.
Let me offer a bit of a disclaimer before I go on. I am not a big fan of New Year's, nor the celebrations thereof. For one thing, to me it's the passing of the Christmas season, my absolute most favorite time of the year. So there's that. I also don't care for the parties. I'm not really a party guy. I was for a time but it got old. Fast.
So to me, New Year's is just a way we measure the passage of time. Much like the hours, minutes, and seconds we used to mark the passage of a day, to me New Year's has no more significance than the ticking of the clock from midnight to just past midnight.
Maybe it's a flaw in my character, but every day is a chance to start anew. I don't need to change the number of the year for that. Then there's the whole check writing thing, remembering to increment the year by one. And yes, we still write checks. I'm not exactly sure why but there it is. Perhaps we're old school that way. I dunno.
Now mind you, I don't begrudge others celebrating the New Year. In fact in Germany we had fun doing that, firing off fireworks, in moderation mind you, drinking beer and champagne, again in moderation (well, maybe not). But as I get older I often wonder, what's the big deal?
To me, it's just another year. As 2016 passes into 2017, I will bid farewell to a most excellent year. 2016 was good for my tribe and me. We've seen worse, perhaps we'll see better to come. Who knows?
I certainly don't.
But 2017 will bring one change. I almost feel as if an oppressive burden is about to be lifted. I have been appalled by certain events and people in the past eight years. But I smell a change in the wind.
Let's hope it's a good one.
No, belay that hope thing, let's work for that.
Together.
We're of a like mind about New Year. We celebrate on New Years Day but only because Kendy is a New Years baby.
ReplyDeleteOn New Years Eve we don't do anything special except watch some movies and stay up until midnight so that I
can wish her Happy Birthday at 12:01.
Well, New Year's Eve is The Nuke's birthday, so we celebrate that.
DeleteA New Year's baby? Wow, Kendy just missed the tax deadline. :)
Yep missed the deadline and never got a birthday party until we were married. Her family always told
Deleteher "you just got presents for Christmas, there's no way we're throwing you a party and giving you
more presents!"
We didn't subject The Nuke to such indignities, her birthday is 31 December. Gave us a reason to celebrate New Year's Eve, though we don't call it that, we simply call it The Nuke's birthday.
DeleteI'd be asleep if some of my neighbors weren't so shotgun into the sky noisemaker happy.
ReplyDeleteSebastianis not amused.
This year may be just a little different.
I will let you know.
Occasionally the denizens of this place will get over-enthused with the detonation of pyrotechnic devices, it gets tiresome. The feline staff don't care for that nonsense at all!
DeleteWe agree, vis-à-vis the typical new year celebrations. It's just another tick on the clock; we but turn another page. And despite some temporary sadness about the deaths of some famous people, it has been a wonderful year for my family, as well. And we're happy to be away from the big city, looking forward to a New Year without gunfire to mark it.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, you'll roll into 2017 far from the madding crowd. Very nice!
DeleteNew Years- Bah Humbug. In all seriousness though, a year is an important mark in the passage of that time since it comes so infrequently, usually once a year, around the beginning of January if I remember correctly. And it's a good enough reason to celebrate I suppose. In Florida they have hurricane parties- not that death and destruction should be celebrated, but with time off comes celebratory opportunity, and New Years is no different. While it's not a rare occasion that I stay up to midnight, boozing it up at home with my wife watching the ball drop seems a bit perfunctory. Happy New Year to all you Chanters though! (Did I just coin a phrase there- a la "Lexicans?")
ReplyDelete"Chanters?" Hhmm, I shall have to ruminate upon that. Grudgingly, it does have a certain something. As to "Lexicans," I preferred "Lexians," but was outvoted. (Not sure we actually had a vote, but there it is.)
DeleteIf the readership is to be known as "Chanters," perhaps we should have a chant? (My vote is for "Who's buying?")
I'll mark this new year like the last, asleep.
ReplyDeleteI have been known to do that as well.
DeleteA good time for Americans to channel JFK's spirit and direction and "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
ReplyDeleteNow there's a concept I can support.
DeleteWhen I was a kid, we had an adult member of the family who thought you were heathen if you did not have plans for New Year's Eve by Thanksgiving. So her craziness about it ruined it for everyone else.
ReplyDeleteEven as a teen I did not understand the fuss. I could have just as bachanalia an evening on january 1 as I could on dec31. And it cost a helluva lot less. People wanted my business on Jan 1 just as much as they did not want it on the 31st.
Sound wisdom!
Delete"No, belay that hope thing, let's work for that.
ReplyDeleteTogether."
Roger that.
Paul L. Quandt
:)
Delete