Mae's Real Stories

On December 31, we celebrate New Year's Eve. The next day is January 1, and the number of the year changes -- that is, it's a "new" year. Children usually do not celebrate on New Year's Eve. This is a holiday for grownups. A lot of grownups dress up, wear party hats and stuff, stay up very late, and enjoy a grown-up party. At midnight they sing a very sad song called "Auld Lang Syne," which means Old Times Sake in the Scots language. They usually don't sing it sadly, though, they make it sound silly and whiny.

Some people imagine that the New Year is a baby wearing a diaper and the number of the year, and the Old Year is a very old man. This year, the baby is number 2007. Also, some people picture a man called "Father Time." At New Year's people like to think about time passing. Some people make resolutions, which means they promise themselves to do something better in the new year. Maybe they will try harder in school, or try to help their mother more.

Once when Arny, Elaine, and I were children, we decided to get dressed up and celebrate New Year's. We made hats out of newspaper, took a little toy horn and some noisemakers, and went to the neighbors' house to see the neighbor children, whose names were Kay, Chris, and Ann. Their father took our picture. That was the year that went from 1951 to 1952.