New Year's Eve, Sleepfest or Spanx?

Would it be wrong to not go out New Year's Eve?  Would it be frumpy to go to sleep and not see the new year arrive with the serenade of mulitcoloured ariel explosions?   Traditionally we would go to a neighbour's home for eats and a chitchat.  We took turns in the cul de sac that we used to live in to host the event.  Food was brought by all and a true feast festooned the table.  We dressed in finery and exchanged news on the year's events,  how much the children had grown, what school, university they were now at, and established whether we were all still at XYZ company and agreed that payrises are non existant.  You know the conversation don't you?  You know what happens then too, one or other of you diverts attention to the food table and reaches for the vol au vent that you don't really want on your hips but better there than thinking of something else to say. Nonetheless this familiar companionship was reassuring in its predictability.  A comfort blanket to wrap around ourselves for the arrival of the new and unknown.

There have been years in which I slept through the ringing in of the new year. When my children were very young and I was desperately grabbing sleep, all the sleep I could get.  In those years I didn't feel guilty, I was too tired to feel anything let alone guilt or frumpdom. Yet now I have no excuse, I would be making a positive choice to 'do nothing.'  There needs to be a sexier name for this. When asked what I am doing for the New Year I want to positively affirm 'I am going to a bedbash, or a sleepfest.'  Mr Him currently wants to go out to our local social club but I'm hoping that if I tell him the alternative is a 'bedbash' he may change his mind, or not.

Yet there is an alternative, to invite a few friends to our house for nibbles and drinks.  Friends means conversation that is deep, humourous and the vol au vents stay on a plate in the centre of the table. Friends aren't so much the comfort blanket but the Spanx to support us during the arrival of the new. Friends know where to hold you in over the coming year. They know your problem bulges and stress muffins.

So Mr Him and I will either rally up our Spanx who are currently planning on being at home in their own frumpdom or we will go to a sleepfest.  Either way we will not be going out.

Postscript

We went out!

I cossetted myself in a shawl and companionship.  We went to friends for a quiet evening in to be comfortable and peaceful in welcoming in the new year.