Planning the Last Day of 2008

Traditionally as a Pastor I have led the “Watch Night Service” at the church we were pastoring at the time. It was a Christian thing to do in a church on New Year’s Eve – away from the booze and bellering of the bar scene – or wild parties at someone’s home. This happened for a lot of years.

But as we grew older and so did the church – most of the “booze and bellering” happened in people’s homes as the Old Christians went to bed early. We stopped the church scene with aging.
The only “Walton Scene” in these homes on a New Years Eve was the lights going out one by one… and someone calling, “Where is the glass for my teeth dear!?” or “Harry, WAKE UP and turn that TV down… get to bed… goodness sakes… we are too old to stay up!”

The common word describing the other world is “BLING” – you know fancy jewels, fancy clothes and people cheering wildly as the New Years comes in. It is the worldly world that some once knew.
Kind of funny really. As we aged and went to bed earlier and earlier. We lost the zip and the desire to stay up too late.

A group of our friends have invited us to go out late tonight to do the town up big time. It will only cost us $5 to attend a number of events up and down the main street of our city.

Now let’s see… can we do it?

One guy is lame and struggles from his bed to his big chair. I think he has knee problems. Another guy needs his motorized wheel chair to get around any distance. Walking the main street aint likely going to happen.

Now add to that our wives love to shop… it comes with this age. At Midnight on the main street of our city – there aint nothing open to shop in.

Add another factor to that… some hearing problems in the group and the loud bar scene – or local talent show will be more than too loud. We would all listen from the street as the guitars and drums thumped their way into the New Year. So why pay $5 to get in when it is all too loud!

“Bling” is gone… or maybe quieted to a gentle “blunk”. The only clink that you will hear in our homes will be the sound of teeth being dropped into the waiting water glass. We put them there so we know where they are in the morning… or at least should be in the morning.

I would really like to play board games (the kind with dice etc) this evening. You know – just get together with friends at someone’s home, beside a warm fireplace, with steaming hot chocolate or hot apple cider and do fun stuff.

We can laugh a lot and joke about our ailments. We can remember the good old days gone by.

We can… probably do that sometime this afternoon… then be able to drive home before it gets too dark because some of us hate driving after dark.

You know…. We could set the clocks ahead a few hours and when the clock strikes 12 AM… even though it is only 6 PM… it will be dark where we are… and we can cheer loudly…. “Yippee… Happppy New Yearrrrr!”

With any luck some of us that need to can be in bed by 8:00 PM and start tomorrow rested well.
One thing about this plan… there are no hangovers afterward. Some of our group will have to get up three times during the night after too much hot chocolate or cider… but that is only one more time than usual. Usually we are just tired from waking up so many times all night long to go to the bathroom anyway.
So here is my offering to my more “experienced friends” – Happppppy Neeeeew Yearrrrrr! ….done a little earlier in the day for all you Bling Lovin Guys and Gals.

~ Murray Lincoln ~

The following poho is (from Left to Right) Murray, Winston and Terry - going off one last time! Yipppppeee!