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Movie Marathon
I have a special night by myself on New Year's Eve. I pick an actor or actress (such as Tom Hanks or Sandra Bullock) and watch a bunch of his or her movies. I usually do a little research on the actor, and once I even watched a biography of the actor. I make my favorite snacks and enjoy oyster stew, a childhood favorite.

On New Year's Day, I invite neighbors, friends, and family over for homemade donuts. I have a great two days doing what I like and being a blessing to my neighborhood without putting myself in danger on the roads.
-Karen

Treasured Memories
Eleven years ago on New Year's Eve, my mom passed away. For the next few years, seeing Christmas lights and other decorations during the season brought back difficult memories. Thankfully, God healed me and helped me move on. My mom's in heaven celebrating every day. Now, on New Year's Eve, I have friends and family over, and we laugh around the kitchen table, eat like crazy, and have fun. My mom would have loved it!
-Patti

Bunco!
For many years, family friends have hosted a Bunco party on New Year's Eve. I've never had a date. But with families there and kids running around, the event doesn't feel like a couples' party. It's always a fun night of food and laughter. And with all the moving around involved in the game, I get to visit with almost everyone.
-Kristi

Gotta Dance
I celebrate New Year's Eve by dancing. I attend either a ball downtown (when I have a date) or an event at a local dance studio (if I'm dateless). Both events are fun and well attended, plus they offer great food. Last year I had a date, so I attended the downtown ball. More than 200 couples of all ages were there. An orchestra played until midnight, when a raft of balloons descended on the kissing couples below. The dance studio party is mostly singles, many from a local church's singles group. Everyone's friendly, and those with good dance skills help those not as coordinated. Either event is a fun way to ring in the new year.
-Michael

Praise Fest
I usually watch movies on New Year's Eve. But back in college, my Campus Crusade for Christ group had a week-long conference before the end of the year. We had a praise fest for our New Year's celebration. About two hours before midnight, all 1,200 students sang praise to God. At 11:50 P.M., we gathered in small groups to pray for everything from personal needs, family, and friends to our schools and the President. Then around 12:15 A.M., we started praising again. The entire experience was fantastic!
-Stephanie

Run and Fun
I discovered my new favorite tradition last New Year's Eve: a four-mile run through New York City's Central Park at midnight with 4,000 of my "closest" friends. There's music, dancing, costumes, and fireworks, plus hundreds of people along the route to cheer us running past and wish us "Happy New Year." I've never participated in such a great New Year's celebration, and I look forward to doing it again!
-Jasmin

The Party Planner
As a 37-year-old, never-been-married pastor, I've always found New Year's Eve challenging. Long ago, I determined to approach this troublesome holiday proactively; for all but 3 of the last 19 New Year's Eves, I've either hosted, co-hosted, or organized a gathering of friends to play games, eat, talk, and just hang out. The gathering is always a mix of singles, dating couples, married couples, and sometimes even a few kids. My friends are willing to help plan. But a gathering needs at least one proactive initiator, and that's usually me!
-Brian

Praying in the New Year
I enjoy going to a friend's house for New Year's Eve. We play games, eat, and just hang out. Some of my best New Year's Eve memories, however, are from when I was my mom's caregiver. I fixed our favorite snacks, and we watched movies together. We also reminisced about years past and discussed our hopes for the coming year. Then we prayed in the new year. I lost my mom about five years ago. And as enjoyable as times with my friends and family are now, those years with Mom will always be extra special to me.
-Judy

Daddy Date Night
When I was in high school, my dad and I started a New Year's Eve tradition of staying up until midnight watching movies and munching on junk food. Occasionally I invited a friend to join us, but most years Daddy and I were alone. Mom usually didn't last past 10:00 P.M. Now, as a divorced single mom of two wonderful kids, I continue this tradition with them. We have fun picking the movies, and then we have a contest to stay awake until midnight. We added our own twist to the tradition by including a midnight "toast" with sparkling fruit juice, ringing in the new year with good wishes for our family and a prayer for God's blessings in the coming year. I look forward to continuing this tradition for many years!
-Bronda

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