Sending off the Old and Hailing in the New

 

2012 had come to an end and 2013 was about to begin. The weather was nice and chilly as a waning December should be. Christmas lights blinking through the misty evening and hollied wreaths still sprigging the doors. A perfect night for a party.

We bedecked ourselves in the garb of the 1920’s for our roles in Micah’s Murder Mystery. I, a singer/actor/dancer with a Katherine Hepburn inspired accent (yes I know she was a couple decades later, but so much fun!), was dressed in a black flapper dress with a sequenced belt worn as a makeshift headpiece. Micah, dressed in his best-tailored suit, shaved all but a thin Clark Gable mustache. His facial hair grows lighter and a bit red so I colored it in using my eyeliner (for some reason he won’t allow me to do that for him before work).

The night went off without a hitch. Well, not really, but we soldiered on through our mediocre dishes (an undercooked cauliflower casserole and a Mexican spiced chocolate tort that was not as moist as it could be) and the loss of three to our party due to the flu (one of which just happened to be one of the murderers). Luckily others had brought superior food fare and Micah improvised by covertly taking one of the attendees aside and giving him the murderer’s profile. The night was filled with song, dance, and mystery as we tried to wade through the semi-complicated and slightly holey plot. Finally one of our number (a servant of the FBI by day) solved the poisoning and the two culprits were (figuratively) clapped off to jail.

We counted down the seconds to 2013 and heralded the New Year with sparkling cider (only one person thought to bring a bottle of champagne that was quickly guzzled down before midnight).

It was a near perfect New Year’s Eve. And, as everyone knows, that is quite the feat as expectations for a rip-roaring good time are already sky high. Thanks to the dedication of Micah (with his complex 18 person murder mystery) and Katie Cooney (with her inspired 1920’s adapted apartment) the night was truly remarkable.