A photo in the CVS bathroom
Couldn’t help myself, I needed to show you guys this picture that was actually in a CVS bathroom. I felt it set the mood for a festive New Years Eve.
The Fantasy
I have always had this fantasy on what New Years Eve should look like. I think the Love Boat, Days of Our Lives or Gossip Girl put this unrealistic expectation in my head. First, it should be a ball. Not a “let’s have a ball” but literally a party with ball gowns, tuxedos and snooty waiters walking around with hors d’oeuvres and champagne. By the way, can anyone spell hors d’oeuvres without googling it? I never can.
Alas, my dream New Year Eves came true in 2000. I was an Assistant Manager at one of the 3 Express stores in the city. One of our seasonal hires was what one would call today a “real housewife”. She didn’t need a job, she just did it on a whim because she was bored. We had gotten along very well and she worked hard during her shifts. The Thursday before New Years Eve she handed me a large envelope.
“My boyfriend and his 2 friends host a party at the Hyatt every year. It’s only $20 to get in per couple and $89 for a room. Hope you guys can make it!”
I opened the invitation like Ralphie getting his little Orphan Annie pin. Oh my God, it was an invite to my dreams! The last 2 words on the invitation made my heart skip a beat: Dressy Attire. I stood there with my eyes to the sky thanking God over and over. Looking back down at the invite, I turned the back over to discover a letter and a word at the bottom. It read in the smallest of print: B GROUP. ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘like college, I am going to get the same diploma when graduating that the A students are getting, this works’.
That was the one and only “ball” I have attended for New Years Eve. It was everything I had dreamed of and more. I never saw the housewife again nor an A, B or C invite again.
The Reality
I have 2 kids and you can’t (nor shouldn’t) party like a rock star. This year, we are going to my friend’s NG’s house. I’ve asked NC if her and her family want to share an Uber to and from. Unfortunately, I don’t think they make Ubers large enough for 7. Hell, I’m struggling with booking an Uber at this point. Yesterday, I sent NG the following text:
Since I live in the suburbs and have my own car, my extent of Ubering is my sister booking it for us. With my luck, I’m sure I’ll book a white molester van with tinted windows. When Ron (our driver), with his thinning, greasy comb over and wire-rimmed glasses open the sliding door for our families, I will have a gut feeling we should run the other way. This feeling is only validated when I see there are no seats and duct tape and vaseline, sitting in the corner.
Oh my goodness! Vaseline and duct tape in the back?!? I would have run the other way. So creepy! On another note – you have me beat in the New Year’s Parties category. I’ve never been to a dressy New Year’s Eve party, and for the past 5-10 years, I’ve been perfectly happy staying home. The kids and I have had dance parties to the Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve show, and I have one glass of wine as the ball drops. Ha! Maybe I’ll get back into the partying sometime in the future – only time will tell. Happy New Year, Angela!!!
But those are some of the best parties, right?!?! They have so much fun! I’m getting faux champagne for my sons tomorrow. Plan on pics from the party!
I look forward to them 🙂
Oh, and by the way – that is some picture! LOL
Urgh, New Year is such an effort. We spent years hosting family, making sure all those little buffet items went into the oven at the right time (always different times and different temperatures required), that there was enough ice, that the perfect playlist was selected (good mix of old and new, no songs with expletives), that we explained where the light was to the downstairs loo (“it’s outside the sliding door!”), that we explained that the upstairs loo door had no lock (“yes, it is a folding door. There are two of us, we do not need a lock”)
Now we go out for a curry and shove a glass of prosecco in everyone’s hand at midnight. Happy fooking New Year…
Curry with prosecco at midnight sounds awesome! 😉
Yes it does! I bought some champagne for tonight and some faux champagne for my sons. If my oldest starts taking pictures of himself holding the champagne like a rapper, I’m going to knock the thing so far from his hand that him and his stupid Supreme headband won’t be able to find it.
bwahahaha!
I guaran-f’ing-tee you that is what he is planning. He won’t approve my Instagram request (which is a whole other train wreck) and he probably has plans to post with a bottle of Welch’s White Grape Juice. Wow….he must feel gangsta’ with that label on the bottle.
I guess it is like holding candy cigarettes. I totally did that as a child – although I didn’t instagram it!
I did too. Totally pretended I was smoking. To date, I’ve never tried cigarettes in my life.
Yes, I used to totally be that way! I used to use chargers under everyone’s plates! Chargers for cryin’ out loud! Who’s coming over? The Queen? Now we are going to a friend’s house and it’s such a relief to not have to clean, cook or buy $400 worth of food and beverage. The biggest challenge will be finding an Uber home.
Our local curry house is walkable…so no cab issues at the end of the night! Who even owns chargers these days…sounds like you were holding a medieval banquet 😀
OMG…that made me laugh out loud. So true! We should just take them out and use them as frisbees this summer.
Once your kids are a little older you could host your own version of your dream new years eve party again! 😀
I think all my favourite NYEs are when we didn’t make many plans, but just ended up chilling, drinking and chatting with friends. I find when I make big plans it always seems to disappoint me.
See, I think I’m leaning more towards that way. I want to get to the point where I don’t care and hit the hay at 11 PM.
It is hard to stop caring about something though!
You can just order an Uber when you need it, although outbit the burbs on New Year’s Eve they might be scarce. You can order an Uber XL which is usually a large SUV that you can put 7 in. About a month ago me and 8 friends piled into an Uber, so I know it can be done.
Yeah, I think the Uber XL is the way to go. My friend however has strept so it might be down to just my family.
Hope you enjoy your NYE party, whatever you eventually decide to do this year, but for this old 60+ lady and hubby we prefer it to be a quiet evening at home and just enjoy it together and see in the new year. We will meet up with our kids and kiddos the next day or so over the weekend, and enjoy to family time together but that pretty much sums up our New Year celebrations.
Well that sounds like a perfectly amazing New Years Eve. My biggest fear is drunk drivers so you already have the safety of home which is great! Happy New Years!!!
Take care and have fun and be safe – All the best for 2018
And to you as well!