Good morning to all,

My wife and I have never "celebrated" New Years Eve ini the traditional sense. This year, we've decided to invite our neighbors over to spend the evening with us. These are people who've we've become very close to. Our kids and theirs have grown up together as brothers and sisters. We've spent the last year "prepping" our families and have a lot of fun doing it.

But, here's my dliema. Since we've never had a New Year's party before, we're looking for some ideas. Bear in mind that it will just be them and us. I'd like to incorporate something to show them how much we've appreciated their support over the past year. Any thoughts?

And to the rest of you, a simple wish this morning. May the coming days bring you a peace in your heart. If you're anything like us, the past year has been a rollercoaster, and other facets of your lives have been put on the back burner.

Have a great day!

Dan

-- dan (dbuchner@fdxsupplychain.com), November 29, 1999

Answers

*sorry for all the typos!*

(Spell check on!)

-- dan (dbuchner@fdxsupplychain.com), November 29, 1999.

Stick with buffet foods that can be prepared the day before and served from a warm chafing dish fueled by Sterno. Perhaps splurge a little and get some of the food from a good local deli. That way, you'll have loads of time to chat and enjoy a relaxing evening, as well as be unencumbered by complicated food preps if the power SHOULD go out.

Our wedding anniversary is New Year's Eve and we've lost power on more than one occasion due to some idiot taking out a utility pole. It's not just Y2K!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), November 29, 1999.

We have lots of potluck get-togethers with friends, where everyone brings a dish to pass. With the bunch of eaters that we know, it is often 2 or 3 dishes or entrees, desserts, etc., per family. Most of these are prepared ahead, so little needs to be done while company is there. My wife makes excellent pizza, and most of the work for it can be done in advance. The crust made, toppings cut up, sauce simmered, etc., so that when it is time to eat, just put dough on pans, spread on the toppings, and pop in the oven. We cook with gas (LP) or wood, so we don't care what the utility companies are doing. There are lots of other kinds of foods that can be prepared in advance, or require little work at the last minute. Pizza or similar foods can involve a number of people in the preparation, too, letting more folks get involved for more fun. For New Year's eve, we usually have some hot cider simmering on the stove and a case of good beer and home-made ginger ale cooling on the porch.

-- Jim (jiminwis@yahoo.com), November 30, 1999.