How To Properly Usher in a New Year

Happy New Year everybody!

The holidays are winding down all of a sudden, and last night the husband/lover/best friend and I celebrated New Years Eve at home.  Why?  Here's why:

1.  Although we had an invitation to celebrate New Year's Eve with our close friends Carole and Bob, we needed some solace after the whirlwind of the last two weeks before and after Christmas.  A quiet evening alone at home was just what the doctor ordered.  Not quite this mellow, but close:

My parents - aren't they cute?

2.  High heels and dressing up are over-rated.  Although I do have some really fancy heels in my closet that should be occasionally worn to fancy events, in reality, after an hour they do morph into killer heels.

3.  My feet were hurting anyway, and it was a good night to put them up and "veg."

This.  Is.  Not.  Me.

4.  I've been at New Year parties in the past in which I felt like I had to act like I was having fun, but in reality I just wanted to be home relaxing.

5.  Stuffed mushrooms are the best things about New Year's Eve parties, and I wasn't getting a good feeling that there would be any elsewhere.

6.  It's fun to turn on the TV for about 10 minutes to convince myself once again that I am so glad I am not in that Times Square can of sardines.  What happens there if you have to use a bathroom anyway?

7.  I tried a new Bongo Bongo dip recipe, and I didn't have to share it with a roomful of people.  It was gooooooood.

8.  I'm my own bartender and this adult beverage, a B-54, was just perfect.

9.  I dislike driving home late on New Year's Eve after parties when there are weather issues and drunken drivers to avoid.

10.  I take delight in the fact that I can turn off the TV ten minutes before that big ball drops and just go to bed.  Yes, I can.  Just because.

So all in all it was a low-key, calm ushering in of 2013.

Now, to all of my family and friends - may your new year be filled with happiness, health, and a wealth of new adventures.