Christmas sucks, New Year's Eve rules, so there!

Okay, Saturday. Don't tell her I had it wrong, or I'll be getting a calendar.

Yeah, flights are cheap around this time of the year
kicky. The Italians celebrate differently though - not these
big public parties, it's rather in a private setting and only
at midnight they'll come out to the piazza and shoot
fireworks and hug each other.

So, take ossobuco with you and get invited to a private
party with Mama Leone

It's a lot closer for the Kick than for me, much shorter flight time, less jet lag, etc. If I lived in NYC, I'd consider going there for relatively short times, just to get my Italy fix.

Who's Mama Leone, isn't that a restaurant in NY?

New Year's Day is my birthday so I am partial to New Year's Eve. But this year because of political correctiveness crap, I have opted to not give Christmas/Holiday gifts to co-workers. Instead, I am giving Festivus gifts - cheap and no one should get mad as there is no religious affiliation.

Although at home with two little kids, Christmas is still magical to them and exciting for them so Christmas now wins out, at least at home.

No ossobuco, she runs a Hotel (Hotel du Lac) in Bellagio,
where we stayed.

Okay, one of these days I'll have to do that. Just hearing the word Piazza makes me all tingly.

So what's happening with everybody this year for NYE? Anyone doing anything really fun?

playing a gig for big money...it'll be fun.....lotsa ho ho hos around.....

Here you go, among New York's most missed restaurants -
http://www.newyorkfirst.com/gifts/9071.html

I have no clue on the place personally, but it was moderately famous. I know my mother didn't like it, something about spumoni... and that was around 1950.

Ha ossobuco, I was at Luchow's for the first time the day prior to closing. The waiter was almost crying, he was with the
restaurant for over 20 years.

Yet I never went to Mama Leone (except for the one in Bellagio).
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Kicky, something uneventful will happen on NYE - I probably
fall asleep before midnight, while sipping a bottle of good champagne.

The most bizarre NYE I had in Manhattan may years ago.
A friend of a friend invited us to his brownstone on 3rd and whatever. We were lucky enough to find parking on the
street and as we entered the "party" we have come into
a gathering of AA members. Until midnight we all drank
non-alcoholic beverages and the crowd seemed quite
edgy. It was so bizarre and boring, I insisted on leaving
5 min. after midnight, only to find our car dented badly
on the driver's side.

I thought this would be the precursor of a lousy year
which instead was one full of excitement and changes.

I simply love Christmas. Always have. The best part is right now...the shopping is finished, the cards are mailed, the baking is done, and all that's left is wrapping the gifts (which I love to do...mine are always quite ornate,) delivering them, and visiting with people I don't get to see often enough. It's fun just going to the mailbox this time of year, because every day some old friend has sent a card and I'm reminded of good times we had.

Visiting the relatives...I can take it or leave it. But having a good excuse to see a lot of my friends? Priceless.

It's even more fun now that I have a son. He's 10, and he still gets excited about it all...decorating the tree ("Oh Mom! I found the treasure chest ornament! Remember this one? We have to find a special place for this")...reading through the basket of Christmas cards every night, going to sleep with multicolored strands of blinking lights outside his bedroom window, etc. etc. And shopping with him is really fun. He has surprisingly good taste for a boy his age, and he comes up with the most inventive gifts. I wish you all could have this much fun.

Christmas will never ever ever suck. it will ALWAYS be the best holiday. It's the one holiday of the year I think, that prompts even the most lame personality to smile and be just a little more giving than they were last week...er...the week before..

The shopping. Yeah. I think I'll stroll through the mall Saturday. Not to shop - just to run into people I haven't seen in years.

Onyx, good to see you!

it's good to see you also osso!!!

What, Roger, you are thinking this is the Mall? Onyx and I haven't talked for.... months!

I'm surprised by this recent surge in the poll towards Christmas. I thought NYE would kick Christmas' ass!

So where are all the NYE people!? Come on, vote! Make your voice heard!

NEW YEAR'S EVE! NEW YEAR'S EVE! NEW YEAR'S EVE!

Holy crap, I just realized I have no plans for New Year's Eve yet. And the only friend that I really like to hang around with is going to be in f*cking Argentina this year!

Oh crap. New Year's Eve blows.

aw. both my housemates are going to be gone, my sister and her hubby are going to a lame, couples-with-kids-who-are-being-baby-sat party. I wonder what my bro is doing.

little... you know you can always hang out with me:)

Thanks seed. I don't know if I can make the drive there and back and still be around to shoot my diabetic cat.