I said before that New Year’s Eve isn’t my favorite holiday, not only because I rarely have as great of a time as I feel like I’m “supposed” to have , but also because for me how I spend the evening feels like a barometer of what’s going on in my life, and a sign of what the coming year will bring. And if the evening involves annoyed walks through freezing Bushwick streets in search of the right address, or spending way too much money, or being with people who don’t make me feel particularly great, or all of the above…it’s hard not to wake up with a dollop of anxiety served on top of a hangover.
This was maybe the first year ever that I did New Year’s the way I always sort of wished I could do it. A baby is a great excuse to stay indoors where it’s warm and to chill out a little, and if it’s true that New Year’s activities are a predictor of the months to come, 2012 will be cozy, and relaxed, and all about friends and family.
And include lots of cheese, which is always good.
A couple of our friends either had parties to get to by midnight or had to work, so I decided to serve dinner around 6PM in order to pack everyone off to wherever they needed to be by ten or so. (This is Virgil listening for the doorbell with eager anticipation.)
Per reader @ElleJay4‘s recommendation, I added bacon to the chocolate-chip cookies I made for dessert, and it was a revelation. I also used these chocolate-chip cookie-making tips, and finally (finally!) was able to get them to emerge from my oven looking like fluffy cookies rather than crispy saucepans.
In the background, I think that’s what’s called a “joyful mess.”
