THE FIREWORKS PARTY

I would never set off Fireworks.  My best friend in high school had scars on his hand from a firecracker, that stuff is dangerous, and people likely to be playing with fireworks late at night after drinking are not all that careful.  I wouldn’t do it, though I don’t drink. 

The party is to see the Fireworks, which occur as early as 7:00 PM, and then again at midnight. The early one is good for all those parents with little kids, marching around all day and night.  But some older people want to be watching a movie or doing something even better at midnight.  They need not stand in the cold.  I’m an early fireworks guy.  (It is due to a job which involved working on New Year’s Eves, which I had long ago.)  It’s nice to hear them in the distance at midnight.  But I’ll tell you – the view here is so great I’ll be watching the midnight one also, whether anyone’s left at the party or not.  Wow. 

It’s interesting to see it for the first time – it’ll happen twice a year from now on.  Crowds, and I mean thousands, of people coming down my street, right past the building, voices floating and jabbering and occasionally shooting up like an arrow, signifying that someone feels that they’re in a big city, alienated, just passing through – as if he or she has no idea if anyone lives here, or whether their voices are loud or soft.  Perhaps a few will peel out of the crowd and come up to see out the window with us. They have been invited, plus friends.  That has been accomplished. 

The tricky thing is to buy the right amount of food and drink.  Worst case scenarios one and two: lots of drinks left which you would never drink, along with bread and cheese and vegetable dip you must eat for a week.  Two: enough folks show up that you run out of things immediately. Followed by mad scramble to nearby store, thank god there is one.  But look like clown, some party ha ha.  There they are, my two scenarios: king of leftovers, naïve socialite does faceplant. I could use a nice revelation, or epiphany.  Keep yer eye upon the weather and yer hand upon the wheel.  Meanwhile, we’re expecting a big snowstorm to commence tonight.  Good night and good luck.

So I’m having a Fireworks Party on New Year’s Eve, which is to say I have a view that will allow a lucky gracious, spacious few (or dense intimate larger crowd of many) to gaze out the window on what could be an outstandingly cold and/or windy night, and see the fireworks while sipping hot cocoa or whatever.  I used to do that when I had another apartment in Burlington, long ago.  From that one you could see about 2 to 5 degrees of lake on the horizon, and basically see the fireworks.  Now I have about 100 degrees of lake.  Yah. I will See them.

I have an event page for this party on FaceBook.  The page has a mind of its own.

Facebook makes it like a contest.  "Who's going?  Who's maybe?  Who else is invited?"  A gossip magazine.  What do I need this for?  They offer gimmicks - sending reminders to everyone I've already invited, to "promote the event".  Fugedaboudit.  Some people might show up even if it's nice out, but  basically it's a question of the weather, and how closely people are negotiating a frantic First Night schedule.  I've many times attended First Night, and I have seen much happen - often choosing from ten ensembles playing simultaneously in ten venues.  One misses most of it, no matter what.  I enjoy the celebration more when the weather isn't miserable.  I have about ten buttons. Several times I helped out as a volunteer. 

It's a big deal - especially on a truly cold, inhospitable night.  Ah yes - six years ago, I spent New Year's Eve being a job coach, retrieving shopping carts from a Shaw's parking lot on a busy evening.  Moving clusters of six or eight is usual.  Eight gets to be too many, as you're getting tired.  That New Year's Eve, it was hailing, sleeting, snowing and raining.  We pushed those carts through six inches of slush.  We might as well have been pushing them on the beach.  Memories...

But most New Year's Eves, when you go out to do something, are great, and some are truly outstanding.

May your New Year's Eve be truly outstanding, and the entire year to follow.  I'll throw that in as a bonus.