My granddaughters arrive with their sleeping bags ready to celebrate the New Year with me.
I spent New Year’s Eve with my three youngest granddaughters. At one time, I would have called that babysitting, but now I think of it as a special event—a two generational slumber party. They let me know early on that they wanted to stay up and watch the New Year in. Their father had not mentioned that. As I recall, he spoke of letting them stay up until 9:30, if I wanted. But watching the New Year unfold is so exciting for those whose ages don’t yet include two digits.
“Okay, we’ll watch the Times Square celebration on TV, ” I said, knowing that would be an hour earlier than it is here in the Midwest. “But watch from bed,” I added. All agreed.
So what to do in the meantime. . . .
We spent some time with a shape and design board, which amused us for part of the evening.
Getting into pajamas took a bit of time. Agreeable sleeping arrangements took some negotiating to determine space and location. I had earlier promised that we’d bake cookies to see out the old year. What would you expect from a food blogging grandmother? The younger two joined me in the kitchen, measuring sugar and slinging flour about. The oldest preferred to sit it out with a huge volume of Harry Potter. I would have done the same at her age.
Chocolate chip cookies are not really designed for much creative expression. Still the girls did their best to make shapes and indentations after they got bored with making balls.
By midnight (ET), we were all bleary eyed, but snapped back long enough to watch the televised festivities in Times Square.
The girls were asleep by the time I clicked off the noisy celebration on the East Coast. I do recall hearing some distant firecrackers an hour later and realizing the New Year had officially reached us here in St. Louis.
Next Morning
Next morning, Coco nearly completed the pancakes by herself.
How better to start 2017 than with a plate of pancakes and bacon. Because every New Year is full of uncertainty, it’s good to look forward to meals and events shared with those we love. Happy New Year!
