Its a little after 5pm New Years Eve, the last day of 2012. Most people take this time to reflect on the past year and while I did do a bit of that, I am focusing on the upcoming year. I have many things planned for the new year and have much to look forward too.
The weather has been great today and many people in Dublin are out and about getting ready to celebrate the New Year by going out to dinner with friends and family before heading out to one of the many parties or galas in private homes, pubs or hotels.
At the stroke of midnight, there will be fireworks if the weather holds and lots of hooting and hollering and kissing. I'll let the hooting and hollering to others as I plan on doing alot of kissing with my man Gareth.
Earlier today I finished cleaning the house, changing the sheets on the bed, cleaned up the cats litter boxes, washed the dishes, and finished the laundry. According to old Irish tradition, which my family followed growing up in America, you want to make sure all these things are done before the end of the year to give you a fresh start to the New Year. Anything not done, such as laundry, would become a nuisance to you in the New Year. The last thing I want to do is piss off a New Years fairy and have him triple the amount of laundry or cleaning for me in 2013.
When Gareth gets home from work, which should be any moment now, we'll get our showers, shave, put on cologne and nice clothes and head out for some dinner with friends. Then we're going to come home, pop some champagne and celebrate the New Years at home with our four little kids and lots of kissing.
No matter where you live in the world, one thing you can be sure of is that you'll be able to find crazy white people jumping into freezing water at this time of year. Dubliners like to head out to Sandy Cove and take a plunge at the Forty Foot.
Just got back from doing some Christmas shopping in Dublin. Lots of people out and about tonight. I am exhausted and its cold out there. I'm going to wrap some gifts and drink some hot chocolate. Gareth is drinking some whiskey to warm his bones, but if I want to get anything done the rest of the night I'll need to be a wuss and stick to the hot chocolate.
The kittens are all over the bags we brought home, snooping in each one like little children looking for a sneak at their presents. Oh yeah, forgot we made chocolate chip cookies yesterday. Gareth just brought us a plate full. MMM cookies.
We exchanged gifts with some friends earlier in the week. One of the gifts Gareth got a pair of red boxer shorts with Rudolph on them and I got a blue pair with holiday lights on them. We stripped off our clothes down to our boxers and a t-shirt when we got home and I have to say we look really festive with our holiday boxers.
Well, better get to wrapping those present. Here is wishing all my friends a happy Saturday and may you have your shopping done and get to sit back and enjoy some cookies and hot chocolate yourselves. Enjoy the season.
