Our New Year’s tradition might look a little bit different than most. Neither Chauncey nor I have ever been huge fans of all the pressure and expense that comes with ringing in the New Year. In years past I always felt like I needed to be doing something big, going to a party or spending hundreds of dollars on a five course meal that turns out to be just 'meh' when the food arrives. I have always had a love hate relationship with this holiday. I loved the idea of spending time with friends and family but I hated all the pressure and money it took to have a good time.
Our second year as a couple we decided to do things our way, and the tradition we created on our second New Year's together has truthfully become one of my favourite things we do as a couple. (Side note, our first year as a couple we were celebrating my sister Kirsten and her partner Paul's amazing wedding in Banff, Alberta, a hard one to top!) Chauncey is an amazing cook and he usually prepares a meal that would rival any fine dining restaurant. Most years it’s a roast or steak filet with sides of creamy mashed potatoes and candied carrots…my mouth is watering just thinking about it. We enjoy a nice bottle of red wine chosen with care and we sit down to a beautiful meal together. Now that we have our baby girl Mckenna, our tradition hasn’t changed much as her bedtime is around 6:30 pm so we still get to enjoy our evening together.
After our delicious meal, we will start working on our vision boards for 2020. We have magazines and printed out quotes and photos from Google. We cut and paste just like we did back in elementary school and we work on our own vision boards side by side at the kitchen table. We do our best not to peak too much at the other person’s board, as we like to show each other at the end what we have come up with.
Once all the glue has dried and we feel that we have our vision for 2020 complete, we will then take turns going through each of our masterpieces. We discuss what our goals are as a couple and individually, what we hope for our family in the coming year and just generally lay out a road map for the year to come. One year we missed doing our vision boards and honestly we both felt out of sync with each other and with our goals that entire year. We vowed never to miss doing this activity as a couple again.
We then cuddle up on the couch to watch the ball drop in New York City. If I’m being honest here, I usually pass out from the wine and overeating and Chauncey wakes me up five minutes before the countdown begins.
That’s it.
It might sound simple and not that exciting to some people, but for me it’s the most perfect New Year’s and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
As Mckenna gets older I see us helping her create her vision board for the year ahead, setting some goals and showing her how amazing it can be to have a road map for the year to come.
This is a Carter Family tradition that we have created for our family and I absolutely love it. From a girl who used to dislike New Years to a girl that truthfully looks forward to the day, I encourage you to do what you want to do this New Years. If you want to attend a huge crazy party, do it! If you want to stay home in PJ’s and watch true crime documentaries, do it! Don’t feel the pressure, do what you want to do and ring in 2020 the way you want to.
Happy New Year’s everyone!
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