When I was much younger, I used to party on New Years Eve. But being the serious type of personality, I didn’t really feel that I had a lot in common with those I partied with. So after awhile, I decided that partying was not for me. No pitying please, I much prefer to watch a movie, read a book, or go to sleep early.

When I had children, I did all the things that parents do, in anticipation of a New Years Eve celebration – either let them stay up to ring in the new year, or waking them up just before midnight. Noise makers, standing outside and listening or watching fireworks. The kids really got into it!

Now that they have children, the tradition is being carried on.

But a funny thing happened the other day. My mother called me and told me that she remembered something from a New Years Eve a long time ago.

Let me tell you a little about my mother. She’s 85 (I can always remember how old she is because she’s almost 22 years older than me – her birthday is 6 days after mine). So I’m 63, that makes her 85.

As she ages, she loses a lot of her memories – mostly short term, but often long term memories as well. So it’s a wonderful situation, when she remembers something from the distant past.

Her memory of a New Years Eve celebration is when my brother and sister were very young. As I’m the oldest by 8 and 10 years, this would have been when I was a teenager. Mom gave the younger kids pots and pans and wooden spoons – and when she woke them up to help celebrate the holiday, they did it with a BANG. Actually lots of BANGS – pounding those pots and pans with the wooden spoons. They really ate it up!

So when my kids were little, that was the tradition I passed on – letting them get all their celebration done with pot, pans and wooden spoons. What a racket – but they had a ball. Of course, the first thing out of their mouths each nite – was when’s the next New Years celebration so we can BANG the pots again!

Too bad we didn’t have digital cameras back then. It would have been a hoot to check out the old celebrations. I thought maybe I had some old pictures of my sister and brother with pots and pans. So I went through all the photos I had packed away. What happened was, I did not find the pictures I was looking for, but I reorganized the pictures I wanted to save. Not exactly how I started this post – but things have a way of working out that way!

Now on to a new decade. I hope 2010 will be a great year for you!