Happy New Year …. for the sake of Auld Lang Sang

We are settling in for the evening by the fire, planning to see in the New Year with our older two kids and a neighbour. We’ll watch a DVD then probably watch Big Ben in London strike midnight on TV.

We don’t tend to go out on New Years Eve, and earlier today I was trying to remember a few New Years Eves to blog about – but didn’t come up with much!

Compared to Christmas celebrations, New Years Eve is not such a big deal for us – or maybe we are just a bit boring!

I remember as a child wondering how I would spend New Years Eve for the millenium. As it happened, in December 1999 we had a 2 year old and a 3 week old, and just about made it to the end of a party and a New Years Eve church service at Seymour St Methodist to see in the year 2000.  I remember all the phones which had an hourly chime beeping, and lots of teens in church started texting their friends! If I was home I would scan in and upload a photo of our family that night – but you will have to use your imagination!

So what about you? Any special New Year plans or memories?

Wherever you are, whoever you are with, and whenever you read this, I pray that for you the next year will be a great one.

I’ll leave you wish these Irish blessings for the New Year (none of which I have EVER said to anyone, but the way!)

• In the New Year, may your right hand always
  be stretched out in friendship and never in want.

• May the new year bring
  The warmth of home and hearth to you.
  The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
  The hope of a childlike heart to you.
  The joy of a thousand angels to you,
  The love of the Son and God’s peace to you.

• In the new year,
  may Almighty God
  grant you happiness,
  health and wealth.

May your blessings be more
And your troubles be few,
And may want and worry
be a stranger to you.

• May all your troubles during the coming year be as short as your New Year’s resolutions!