A Fabulous New Year

Awww. I miss you, Sammy boy. Sammy was a wild man at our parties. 

For the last few years, I have purposefully not made a New Year's resolution.

First, because it seems as though these resolutions are just another opportunity to set myself up for failure. But mostly because I'm just a contrary person that doesn't like to be told what to do, even by myself.

However. The last resolution that I made was actually my most effective - when I resolved to be honest with myself. To realistically assess my abilities each day, and then live within that energy reserve regardless of what that reserve may be.

Case in point: usually John and I host an enormous New Year's Eve party. I love those parties. Well, I love jamming large numbers of people and food into our house at any opportunity. But New Year's Eve parties.....ahhh.....what fun. I just love the goofy hats and streamers and noisemakers and the snacks and of course, a mango margarita or two.

 Everyone - without exception - has to wear a New Year's hat at our parties. 

We usually play some kind of series of games in which the guests accumulate tokens which they can trade in at the end of the evening for a fabulous prize. (I always give away FABULOUS prizes. All purchased at one of those dollar stores. Yes, fabulous gifts such as duct tape, feather dusters, sidewalk chalk, extension cords....the list is endless). All wrapped to ensure the mystery of their fabulousness. We all wait until midnight to dive into our gifts. Ooooo. Ahhhhh. One year we gave away dollar lottery tickets and waited until midnight to scratch off and see which of us would become a millionaire. I was shocked - yes, shocked - to see that not one of those tickets were worth more than a dollar or two.

Competition is fierce. Bring it, people.  

But this year, John and I decided to forgo the party after I - thanks to my one ongoing resolution - realistically assessed my energy levels. It's been an unusually crazy few months for me, and although I enjoyed every minute, by Christmas day I knew that there just wasn't enough gas left in my tank to drive me through another hoo-ha event.

Rats.

But I also knew that if I were to try to muscle my way through the fatigue while ignoring the signals my body is sending me, I would not have a happy New Year. I would spend much of January in a full blown crash and burn session.

Definitely NOT a happy New Year.

So tonight John and I are going out to an early dinner with Terese and Greg. We may or may not still be awake at midnight. Odds are we'll be tucked into bed with our schnauzers snoring away when the clock strikes twelve and the big ball drops in Times Square. But that's OK. Because avoiding a flare is probably the most fabulous prize that I could win this holiday season.