Day 1 of 365. It also happens to be my birthday. Like New Year’s Day of 2023, I too was born on a Sunday. So when New Year’s falls on a Sunday, it feels like the stars align a little extra straight for me.
Aside from a fresh start, New Year’s is a special time for my family. My husband’s birthday is New Year’s Eve. You can say that I am the Alpha to his Omega. Where one celebration ends, the other begins. We had met a few times before through mutual friends, but the night we actually had a real conversation (about the Pittsburgh Pirates, Heath Miller, Penn State football, and Yeungling beer) was at a New Year’s Eve party at my house. That night I was wearing a Happy Birthday crown, and he made sure that I knew not to claim my birthday until midnight. Before that, it was definitely his birthday.
The birthday celebrations don’t just stop on New Year’s Day. My mom’s birthday is January 2 and my sister-in-law’s birthday is January 3rd (which to add to the complexity and oddness of this event, her mother’s birthday is also January 2nd).
Growing up, every New Year’s Day was a big event at my house. My mom and dad would throw a party to watch the football bowl games, and celebrate both of our birthdays. I remember years when there were 30+ people at my parents’ house, and 4 TVs were connected in the living room so you didn’t miss a second of any game on TV. People were playing cards in the basement. The kitchen was set up buffet style with Kielbasa and saurkraut roasting all day long. At some point my grandfather Pops would sing at least one college fight song. And after each game, people would line up at the closet door because there hung the long sheet of paper that was our College Football Poll, and money was on the line. We all couldn’t wait to see who would win.
Some traditions never change. This year there may not have been 30 people at mom and dad’s house. But we still had the football poll going, and yelled at the TV when our teams won or lost. We still had saurkraut and Kielbasa. Kids still ran the house, and two even made it up to midnight. We still sang Happy Birthday- only now we have to do it 4 times instead of just 2.
And it is still one of my favorite times of the year. Ringing in a New Year, being with family, celebrating birth, staying up too late, and indulging a little much… That is New Year’s. And that is a great way to set the tone for the year- celebrating, family, love, and life.
And then to go to bed after a good day and realize that 2023 is full of possibilities. It’s day 1 of 365. It is unwritten…. Cheers to 2023, and Happy New Year!
