Slow down. Finish off the eggnog. Take time to smell the Christmas roses and cinnamon snicker doodles. Snuggle up with a new book and a scented candle. Now is the time to savor all your efforts. Play games with the kids, watch new movies, and catch up on the gossip with visiting relatives. Best of all, we have days of leftovers to look forward to.
However, if you have a real tree and it’s gotten dry, there just may be no denying that it is time to take the tree outside. Dry trees truly are a safety issue.
At least the squirrels and birds love them. Recycle your tree if you can and save our landfills.
And what do we do about all those cardboard boxes left over from shopping online? Recycle them too. Please. Our schools have paper recycling bins and the recycling stations have dumpsters ready for flattened cardboard boxes.
We need to relax this week to prepare for the big New Year’s Eve Bash in New Carlisle. Every year organizers tell us that it is going to be bigger and better. They haven’t been wrong yet, although they’ve been challenged a few times by nasty weather. This family event never disappoints.
All the excitement begins at 9 p.m. on Main Street in New Carlisle and runs into the first hour of the New Year. Center of the festivities will be around the New Carlisle Christmas Tree. That is where the giant illuminated ball is suspended and the 2019 numbers are ready to be lit at midnight.
Music will be provided by DJ TB-4, so be prepared to move. Dancing in the street is a great way to end and begin a year. Marshall Gorby assures me that he will insist on the Chicken Dance more than once during the evening.
“We are definitely doing that!”
Ice will be a big part of the event with ice sculpting demonstrations and Ice Cash Give-Aways. Winners don’t know how much they’ve won until the “Cold Hard Cash” melts.
Looking at the long term forecasts, I doubt if melting will be a problem that evening. Be sure to bundle up with hats, gloves, and scarves, and wear warm, comfortable boots. Remember frostbite is real and can happen quickly.
Food trucks and vendors will have warm treats to eat and drink. I like to bring my own insulated coffee mug for the event, but there are also special commemorative 2019 glasses available in local stores that night. Main Street stores will be open. One of the items for sale will be the 2018 Heritage of Flight hoodies which seemed a bit too warm last October but perfect now.
There will also be a 50/50 Drawing.
Free carriage rides are a wonderful recent addition to the event. Donations to help defray costs of the rides will not be turned away.
Fireworks will start off the New Year at midnight, thanks to the generosity of Bobos Construction. How fantastic that will be.
“New Carlisle is the place to be on New Year’s Eve,” said Gorby. “We’re not New York, but we are trying. We’ve got the ‘New’ part down but not the ‘York.’ We’ll get there.”
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