Growing up in the Spendlove house, New Year's Eve was a much anticipated event. Early in the afternoon my parents began preparing a gourmet supper that would be enjoyed on my mother's fine china. We watched movies and played games all afternoon and night, until the ball fell over Times Square, which we watched from our family room. With these memories to build upon, Steve and I have kept the tradition of celebrating New Year's as a family, with no babysitters and fancy parties out for us. This year we bundled up the kids and headed into Boston's First Night. With over 200 events scattered throughout the city, we knew we could find something exciting. In the convention center, we watched puppet shows and dancers, had the children's faces painted (by artists with varying levels of expertise), and fit in a bike jump show and trampoline stunt show for the boys. We watched an eclectic parade march down Boylston Street and then ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.
Wandering around Boston Common, we listened to bands play, marveled at the ice sculptures tucked amongst the trees, and couldn't leave without a photo in front of Boston's official Christmas tree, hauled down from Maine. 
We returned home and, for those still awake, played a game of Charades, based on the events that had happened in our family during 2009. Sophia acted out Emilie being chosen for Select Choir. Jonathan marched around the couch like a Canadian Soldier changing positions in Quebec City, and Sophia and Annelise shrieked when they realized that I was paddling the boat around the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. that the mother and father ducks jumped upon while they were aboard! It was so much fun watching the kids relive the past year. 
The game ended in time for Steve to pour glasses of sparkling cider. We toasted the new year as the ball begin to drop over New York City, this time in real time. 
The next morning Steve and I awoke to shuffling and giggles in the kitchen. Jonathan, with the help of his sisters, made breakfast for Steve and me in bed. He brought up his famous orange julius, berries and scrambled eggs. What a great way to welcome in 2010! 
Later in the morning we made place mats. On one side, our favorite events and achievements of 2009 were memorialized and on the other, our goals for 2010 were listed. The place mats are laminated, helping us remember our resolutions on a regular basis. 
In the afternoon, Steve picked up the kids' friends and took them to our favorite sledding hill. They spent the rest of the day draining out their energy one run after another. 
For us, our celebration was the perfect combination of love and family unity, memorializing the past and embracing a fresh start to our new year.
6 comments:
sounds wonderful!! Too bad Steve doesn't have these great memories from his growing up years! You guys have great adventures.
WoW, you guys have so much fun. Our New Years was pretty sad compared to that! I love the idea about the placemats. I tend to forget my goals I set for myself. We're counting down the days until we see our Ebert cousins...
Good times! I like the placemet idea.
I loved the charades idea. We'll definitely steal that twist :) Fun pictures, especially cute one of Ezra. He is adorable! I imagine Steve must be feeling great that he is so close to achieving a major goal. Exciting! Best of luck from us!
After 4 Ebert comments, I'll speak up for the Spendloves. While I remember New Years Eve with fondness, Camille adds a new level of creativity to the mix (placemats, etc).
Side note: I'd like to try some of Jono's famous julius, which is a specialty of mine as well...
I'm so glad the Eberts are finding as much fun in family New Years Eves as we did! I love your ideas for fun, your written descriptions, and the sharp clarity of those photographs. Is that the new Christmas camera or the experienced picture takers?
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