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As a 12,000-pound crystal ball works its way down a pole in New York City’s Times Square bidding farewell to 2012, people across the United States — including those locally — will raise their cups with cheers and a toast to ring in the new year.
It’s tradition.
New Year’s Eve celebrations are characterized on Wikipedia as “evening social gatherings, where many people dance, eat, drink alcoholic beverages and watch or light fireworks.”
But not everyone ascribes to the “go out and get lit” approach to the new year. Some prefer a decidedly more subdued observance, while others keep the conventional customs, but add a personalized twist to suit their own families and lifestyles.
Making predictions
Wendy Price, 43, of Keedysville, said early in their marriage, she and her husband Dale Price, 47, would get dressed up and go out “someplace fancy” with friends for dinner.
“Then, we started having kids and it turned into a family thing,” she said. “We started going to each other’s houses, then there were too many people. Too many kids.”
Dale’s family owns a farm with an old milking parlor that was renovated to serve as a gathering place. The space is equipped with a kitchen and an open hearth, so the expanding group of roughly 30 people began to gather there.
“We would get together and have supper and play board games. We’d decide on meat, then everyone would bring a dish,” she said.
Predictions became a staple of the celebration. Dale’s sister kept a notebook where she recorded the group’s guesses regarding what might happen in the upcoming year.
“Some were serious, some funny. It was usually who would get married, who was going to get pregnant,” Wendy Price said. “She would keep the book and go over it the next year to see what came true and what didn’t.”
As the years passed, attendance declined and the tradition came to an end.
“The older our kids got, you know, they had things they wanted to do,” Price said. “There were youth group things, and we’d be taking them places.”
All-night celebration
Parents of teens who attend Faith Christian Fellowship in Williamsport might find themselves at a similar crossroads. For the third year, the church will host New Year’s Eve Explosion, an all-night celebration for ninth- through 12th-graders.
Brian Kelley, an FCF pastor focusing on student and family ministries, said the event costs $10 per student and features tactical laser tag, pingpong, pool, cornhole, Xbox dance and sports games at the church, and a middle-of-the-night trip to a bowling alley and a gym for basketball and volleyball. Around 60 youths attend.
“It’s a pretty good crowd. We bus ’em around everywhere. Last year, we did an ice rink. We switch it up, have a good time,” Kelley said. “We give them food through the night and breakfast in the morning.”
Kelley said the event, along with a Super Bowl party, is the church’s largest youth outreach. Parents are supportive of the party because they know their teens are “safe and cared for.”
“It gives kids an opportunity to be somewhere fun and not be out doing something foolish,” Kelley said.
It’s tradition.
New Year’s Eve celebrations are characterized on Wikipedia as “evening social gatherings, where many people dance, eat, drink alcoholic beverages and watch or light fireworks.”
But not everyone ascribes to the “go out and get lit” approach to the new year. Some prefer a decidedly more subdued observance, while others keep the conventional customs, but add a personalized twist to suit their own families and lifestyles.
Making predictions
Wendy Price, 43, of Keedysville, said early in their marriage, she and her husband Dale Price, 47, would get dressed up and go out “someplace fancy” with friends for dinner.
“Then, we started having kids and it turned into a family thing,” she said. “We started going to each other’s houses, then there were too many people. Too many kids.”
Dale’s family owns a farm with an old milking parlor that was renovated to serve as a gathering place. The space is equipped with a kitchen and an open hearth, so the expanding group of roughly 30 people began to gather there.
“We would get together and have supper and play board games. We’d decide on meat, then everyone would bring a dish,” she said.
Predictions became a staple of the celebration. Dale’s sister kept a notebook where she recorded the group’s guesses regarding what might happen in the upcoming year.
“Some were serious, some funny. It was usually who would get married, who was going to get pregnant,” Wendy Price said. “She would keep the book and go over it the next year to see what came true and what didn’t.”
As the years passed, attendance declined and the tradition came to an end.
“The older our kids got, you know, they had things they wanted to do,” Price said. “There were youth group things, and we’d be taking them places.”
All-night celebration
Parents of teens who attend Faith Christian Fellowship in Williamsport might find themselves at a similar crossroads. For the third year, the church will host New Year’s Eve Explosion, an all-night celebration for ninth- through 12th-graders.
Brian Kelley, an FCF pastor focusing on student and family ministries, said the event costs $10 per student and features tactical laser tag, pingpong, pool, cornhole, Xbox dance and sports games at the church, and a middle-of-the-night trip to a bowling alley and a gym for basketball and volleyball. Around 60 youths attend.
“It’s a pretty good crowd. We bus ’em around everywhere. Last year, we did an ice rink. We switch it up, have a good time,” Kelley said. “We give them food through the night and breakfast in the morning.”
Kelley said the event, along with a Super Bowl party, is the church’s largest youth outreach. Parents are supportive of the party because they know their teens are “safe and cared for.”
“It gives kids an opportunity to be somewhere fun and not be out doing something foolish,” Kelley said.
