Amateur Night

Phil Hillinger of the old Cypress Inn dubbed it "amateur night".  He said that New Year's Eve was when people who normally don't drink, partake in an obligatory ritual that had dire consequences.  He actually closed his restaurant/bar early each New Year's Eve proclaiming that it simply wasn't safe to be out and about with all the rookies possibly being behind the wheel of an automobile.

As kids, we would watch from the safety of our home and look out the front windows on New Year's Eve to witness drivers on Dundee Road doing strange things.  Hubcaps would go flying as cars rubbed against curbs and it seemed there were a lot of police cars pulling  over people.  The flashing lights would light up the woods announcing another suspected DUI.

Inside our warm house on New Year's Eve, we would set up the card table and lay out a feast of snacks to enjoy until midnight.  Cheeze whiz and Ritz Crackers, along with ginger ale, were popular choices back then.  The television was on with Guy Lombardo or Dick Clark's Rocking Eve.  At midnight, we would go out into the cold night and scream "Happy New Year!" and bang pots and pans together.

As we grew older, New Year's Eve became time to visit Otis & Lee Liquors to pick up a bottle of champagne.  Not knowing anything about champagne, we usually just picked out the cheapest available, which was Cook's.  It tasted bad year in and year out, but it was the idea that counted.  One year, my friends bought an entire case of champagne.  I knew so little about it that I was unimpressed when I found out that a case of champagne was only 12 bottles.

Growing up on the North Shore, what you were going to do for New Year's Eve was a big deal.  Every year you waited until the last minute to decide in order to pick the best invitation.  Unfortunately, most year's we were lucky to have any invitations, but it seemed to work itself out.  My younger sister actually met the man she would marry at one such gathering.  I ended up singing in the closet that night, but that's a story for another time.

May you ring in this coming new year with all the hope and joy that may have been lacking in 2020.  And just a thought, you may want to steer clear of cheap champagne.  The good stuff is called good stuff for a reason 😉.

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