I think I’m old enough now that I can finally admit that I’m too old for this crap.
And by that, I mean I’m too old for partying til I puke, staying up all night long, mixing my liquor, and sleeping next to the toilet on the cold tile of the bathroom floor while my head spins. I’m talking ’bout New Year’s Eve.
And I can say that now, now that the whole thing is over, and we’re all on our way to recovering from whatever debaucherous things we did to ourselves over the holiday, most of us actually looking forward to going back to school or work next week.
But after years of hoping to find some incredible, noteworthy way to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a memorable way, I think I’ve finally hit my stride. Here’s what we do:
1: Make a game plan. One of the most important things I’ve learned how to do my 2nd time around in marriage is to talk about how we’d like our night to go in advance. I know. We’re brilliant. In actuality, we’ve learned from our mistakes. Which makes us really fricking brilliant.
2: Find somewhere to eat dinner. Nowhere fancy for us, because we can’t be bothered to plan in advance. For the past few years, we’ve had Thai food.
3: Find a party with the following:
A) Awesome people
B) Music we can dance to
C) Plenty of champagne (fortunately we were able to nail all 3 of these essentials in one location)
4: Leave early. Not because we’re trying to fly under the radar, so to speak, of the authorities (because lucky me, my husband is always the designated driver), but because of the next items on my list, which I’ll just roll into one big item.
5: Go home. Put on pajamas. Get into bed. Turn on TV. Wonder if we’ll still be awake when the ball drops at midnight so we can share the first kiss of the next year. Not give a shit. Start kissing because we’re so happy to be with each other right now. Go to sleep in each other’s arms.
6: Wake up to the first day of the new year with no hangover!
I wouldn’t have dreamed of staying home on New Year’s Eve in the past, but I have to admit that it’s starting to sound more and more inviting every year.
But for all of you party animals, today’s Mistress of the Mix is a tribute to a more traditional New Year’s Eve, beginning with summoning up the courage to ask the cutest hottie you know out for a night on the town, moving on to to the party to end all parties, a champagne toast, a midnight kiss, a little too much to drink, followed by the dreaded hangover.
Happy 2014, y’all!
Join me in a musical re-enactment of the penultimate New Year’s Eve by clicking on the play arrow below, or go directly to the Grooveshark New Year’s Eve streaming playlist.
- What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? – Rufus Wainwright
- Bringing In A Brand New Year – B.B. King
- Happy New Year – Kid Rock
- Song For The New Year – Bing Crosby
- Puttin’ On The Ritz- Taco
- A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody – Fergie, Q-Tip & GoonRock
- Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
- We Come To Party – NTyce
- Good Times – Chic
- Champagne Life – Ne-Yo
- Drunk – Ed Sheeran
- Auld Lang Syne – APM
- Midnight In Her Eyes – The Black Keys
- Past Midnight – APM
- Midnight Rider – Allman Brothers
- After New Year’s Eve – The Heartbeats
- New Year’s Day – U2
- Hangover – Tao Cruz
- When The Hangover Strikes – Squeeze
Valerie Ing-Miller has been the Northern California Program Coordinator for Jefferson Public Radio in Redding for nine years and can often be found serving as Mistress of Ceremonies at the Cascade Theatre. For her, ultimate satisfaction comes from a perfect segue. She’s the mother of a teenage daughter and a 7-year-old West Highland Terrier, and can’t imagine life without them or music. Valerie wakes up with a song in her head, she sings in the shower and at the top of her lungs in the car.
