These are the auld lang syne....

The Halls had already taken Master Chris back to the airport and seen him off. Another round of Christmas cookies had been placed out on the trays for general consumption and the sparkling beverages (some hard, some not) were chilling comfortably in the old Frigidaire.
It had been a busy week at the office for the Halls, and they were looking forward to spending down the last little bit of their account at the club on New Year's Eve. Hunkered down and shivering as she got into the big black car, Mrs. H. kept reminding herself that within minutes, they would be sunning themselves at the heat lamps over the carving stations. Of course, nothing was as warm and friendly as the welcome from Al, the bartender. A few seconds later, all the worries of the past year melted into a fuzzy whiskey mist. It can be reliably reported here that Mrs. Hall is notorious for letting herself go alittle at the seafood buffet, and this year she remained true to form. Mr. Hall, not to be outdone, did himself proud in the meat and potatoes department. It was a full house; the inhospitable weather outside made the merry band that much brighter inside and the strains of the jazz stylings of "Pinky" on the keyboard enlivened the evening beautifully. But it was early, and the night was still young...
As Mr. Hall slid the big black car into the hanger, Mrs. H. said, "I feel like a pajama party!" Slipping into their most comfortable sleep togs, the Halls poured out the bubbly and started calling their friends. Colleen, who arrived home in time for the fun, had purchased party crackers for everyone and helped Mrs. H. dredge up some poppers and noisemakers. (If there is one thing that is always kept on hand in the pantry, it's the necessary accoutrements for a spur of the moment party.) Later on that evening, after the ball had dropped and the whooping and laughter had finally subsided, the animal members of the Hall (when they were finally able to peer out from all the confetti) were left to ponder what strange behaviors these humans exhibit, on this one night of the year.