New Year's in South Orange

For New Year's Eve, my wife, my son, and my mother-in-law (she's visiting from Paris) drove to a friend's house in South Orange, a town in New Jersey not far from where we live. It was supposed to be a big party, but it turned out to be pretty small. Actually, this was nice because it gave everyone there a chance to get to know one another better.

The party was a traditional American New Year's party which means it was nothing really special! It's interesting how in the U.S., New Year's is not a big deal (there are really no special foods or music or gift-giving). Also, in most cultures, New Year's is traditionally a time when families get together. But for us, Christmas is more like this. On New Year's Eve, most people go to casual parties like the one I went to, or they go to a bar or club.

Of course there was food, but it was snack food like chips and cookies. Some people watched the Giants game on TV. Most people just talked and drank beer and wine until midnight; then, we opened champagne (alcohol is certainly the most important New Year's tradition that we have!)

My mother-in-law doesn't speak English, so being there for several hours was a bit difficult for her. But she tried to keep up with what people were talking about (we translated a bit, and a few people practiced their not-so-good high school French!). My 3 year old son stayed up until 1:30 (!), when we left the party. He spent most of the night dancing with the grown-ups and a couple of other kids who were there. Overall, we had a very nice time.