Happy New Year.  This post from Linda Rutherford  will be our last new post until January 5.  However, we will still be moderating and posting your comments, so keep 'em coming.

When my son was a toddler, we began a fun (well, we think it is) family tradition for New Year's Eve. We aren't big "let's go out and dance the night away" people, so we always opted for the low-key family gatherings. One New Year's Eve, when Matt was a little more than two, we introduced him to the whole New Year's concept. You see, son, this is when the year changes number, you make a New Year's wish, you kiss at midnight, and you "toast" someone with a drink and say "cheers!"
 
I went whole hog. I bought New Year's hats, noisemakers, horns, plastic champagne glasses, and sparkling grape juice. We paraded around the kitchen, blowing our horns, and saying "Happy New Year" over and over. Then, I poured the sparkling grape juice into the glasses and we said, "now, let's have a toast to the New Year!" We looked expectantly at Matt, all smiles like we were the coolest parents ever to be introducing this new tradition to him. He looked befuddled. "Where's the toast?" he said softly. I told him the "clink" of the glasses WAS the toast. "No, I want toast" he said a little louder. "But..." I said trying to give a two-year-old a logical explanation of my actions. "NO, MOM, I SAID I WANT TOAST!!!!!" Then, it hit us. He wanted the slice of bread that magically appears from the toaster, ready to eat. He wanted ACTUAL toast. So, we toasted the boy some white bread and fed it to him. He was happy.
 
Fast forward. We have done our parade every year since. His sister, now 9, has joined in the fun. And, yes, every year, we end the festivities with what all normal people do on New Year's Eve, with a piece of toast (and not too much butter, Mommy).
 
Happy New Year to you all. I hope you will share any New Year's traditions that you have here.