New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day – everyone has memories of these two days. It is a time to reflect on the past year and in our case that was 2020. A year that will go down hopefully in flames like a phoenix and be resurrected in 2021. A new year marked with hope, renewed economy, and the end to the COVID-19 pandemic and all that entailed.
AdAmAn (Add a Man) Club & Fireworks
I faintly remember a couple of things that were New Years’ “traditions” growing up on Alamo Avenue in Colorado Springs. The earlier memory stems from the fact that Colorado Springs has a unique organization founded here. The AdAmAn Club is its name. Started in 1922, it consists of 30 members (and guests) who climb Pikes Peak starting on Dec. 30 every year to be on top of the peak to fire a magnificent firework display on the first minute of the new year.
The house I lived in had two very large picture windows, on the front, facing west. It was a treat to eat in the dining room and see the majestic Rocky Mountains during most meals. The other window was in the living room. This was the window that was used to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
As a youngster I would be awakened by my parents in time to see the fireworks. It was always exciting as I have always loved watching firework displays. The magnitude of a display on the top of Pikes Peak is exceptional experience that can be seen for miles. But it does come with one major negative. If it is cloudy you might not be able to see anything.
Bubbly Toasts
As I got older a cloudy evening did not bother me as I was able to celebrate the new year with a toast of champagne. This is the basis for the second memory. At the time my parents, especially my mom loved the bubbly. Mom and dad were traveling some at that time in their lives. They flew a lot on Continental Airlines. The slogan for the airline from 1967-1981 was “The Proud Bird with The Golden Tail.”
During that time they served a light-colored golden champagne, Le Domaine. It was Californian, Almaden (Ripon, California). It was not really champagne, but mom liked it and that is what mattered. I was fond of it too (because mom liked it) but also because I never had anything else.
Life was simpler then and I wish I still liked Le Domaine. Today not so much. My taste had gravitated to true champagne from France. The good stuff has gotten really expensive, so now my favorite is Crémant.
The crémants have similar grapes but the ground is outside the Provence of Champagne. Location means everything when it comes to Champagne, but now the crémants and sparkling wines fill most of our cellar. Life can teach a lot of possibilities if you live it by experiencing different things. Thanks mom, you never knew about crémant!
Happy New Year Mom and Dad as we celebrate your legacy with a toast in 2021. May it be a better year than 2020!
Casey Kasam Top 100 Songs of the Year
New Year’s Eve was never a huge celebration in my home growing up. Although, every year from grade school through middle school, my brother and I would stay close to the radio and write down Casey Kasam’s top 100 songs of the year. This occupied us for hours and kept us up until the stroke of midnight, which we thought was a real treat.
The years passed and I went on to start my own family. The New Year’s Eve celebration has evolved into a time of reflection, celebration and looking toward the upcoming year. I married a man of Irish descent, and we celebrate per an Irish tradition, eating corned beef and cabbage with potatoes, carrots and onions for luck and abundance in the upcoming year. New Year’s Eve is still a low-key holiday for us, but one filled with gratitude and hope.
Our family usually spends New Year’s Eve at home. We make a charcuterie board and watch movies, while trying to stay up until midnight. My husband grew up beating pots and pans, trying to make as much noise as possible at the ball drop. It is a fun way to ring in the new year! We buy Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider for a family-friendly drink and serve it in fancy champagne glasses. Cheers!
We conclude the year by reflecting on our blessings and we set goals for the upcoming year. A friend suggested writing down the goals for the new year and putting them in a jar so you can revisit them throughout the year. We have learned to keep our goals simple and focused versus going after a dozen things. It allows us to be more purposeful.
Babysitting as a New Year’s Eve Pastime
New Year’s Eve is not my favorite holiday. Besides the letdown from Christmas excess, there is only one more holiday to celebrate before the new year. My most enduring memory of the holiday was babysitting.
I am the oldest of three kids and every New Year’s Eve I had to babysit – I hated it! All my cousins and neighbor kids would show up at our doorstep, blanket and snacks in hand, ready to play at our house. I remember every New Year’s Eve as one big babysitting gig, hoping midnight would come sooner and sooner. To say I dreaded the holiday was an understatement.
I did not fare any better as an adult. I joined the Army after college and because I was single, I got picked for duty on every major holiday. New Year’s Eve was always spent in a cold, damp guard shack, waiting for my relief to show up so I could go to bed.
Now I look forward to New Year’s Eve. My husband and I snuggle down with all our favorite snacks and drinks and watch the TV shows celebrating the holiday from around the world. In Colorado, the ball drops at 10 p.m. – a great way to celebrate a quiet evening at home.
A Prosperous New Year
I spent many New Year’s Eves with my grandmother, who was a bit superstitious. As midnight drew near, I remember so clearly, she would peel of a $20 bill (a lot of money to my child’s brain) and make me hold it in my hand. Who knows how much cash she had in her hand, but it looked like a fortune.
The fistful of cash at midnight represents a prosperous new year. As I got older, I expanded this idea. Not only do I hold money, I make sure the house is clean and organized. If money in hand will spill over into the new year, I hope a clean house will also spill over (so far, I can report mixed results on the fortune and the sparkling house).
No matter how you celebrate this year, may you be safe and surrounded by love. We are looking forward to 2021 and a hopeful return to normal!
This ends our 2020 series on our family memories and traditions. We hope you enjoyed our staff’s shared thoughts on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. See you next year!!
