Our happy, noisy tradition of ringing the new year with pots and pans
Kidsday reporter Grace Parisi, right, her mom and sister Barrett celebrate New Year's with a bang. Credit: Parisi family
My family begins our annual New Year’s tradition by going to the best deli ever . . . Zan's in Lake Grove! We get their takeout mouthwatering turkey and pastrami. When we get home we make sandwiches together at the kitchen table. Then we eat our delicious sandwiches.
A few hours later, my brother John leaves us because he lives in the city. Once he is gone, we all sit down on the couch and watch television. After a few minutes, my sister and I get really tired of watching television, so we go in the living room to play. When that wears out, my sister and I join our mom downstairs. My sister usually gets sleepy and we all fight to keep our eyes open.
As the clock ticks closer to midnight, we get ourselves comfortable by putting our pajamas on before the ball drops.
Next, we have to wake up my sister, Barrett, so she can see the ball drop. After we wake her up, we all grab pots and pans! Once the ball drops at midnight, we run around outside banging the pots so hard that we wake up the whole block. Bang! Bang! That is my New Year’s family tradition.
Gina Cerulli’s fifth-grade class, Idle Hour Elementary School, Oakdale
