Gere and I chose January 1 as our wedding day for two reasons. First, at the time (1984) we were both off work for the holiday every year. Second, I wanted to guarantee that the date of our special day wouldn’t slip my mind. There have been many memorable celebrations of New Year's Day over the years, but one of the best was 2008 spent in Boston-Tubber, County Clare, Ireland with our friends, the McCormack family, who live in Boulevin, a townland in the Burren. As I look over photos taken before, during and after the celebration, it is easy to recall how, in typical Irish style, the party took up the entire day from an early breakfast, then a brisk walk on the Green Road above Galway Bay, then a visit to the stables to feed the horses. By early afternoon, three generations of the family
gathered around a brightly lit Christmas tree, noisemakers were passed out, liquid refreshments were opened for the adults and the children began to throw streamers and confetti into the air and dance to very loud recorded music. When the kids went to bed, the festivities quieted down, a turf fire was lit in the hearth, wine and port were poured and we snacked on sweets and sandwiches until midnight. There was no Times Square party on tv or Dick Clark’s Rockin” Eve. Just a toast by all to our Anniversary and the year ahead and a fond goodnight.
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