Until Then...

I remember when I was small, standing at the bottom of our stairs, getting ready to head up to bed on a long ago New Year's Eve. Dad was shutting off the living room and hallway lights and as we headed out of the darkness, up the stairs to bed, he said to me, "Goodnight" and then he added, "I'll see you next year."

I thought it was one of the most clever things that I had ever heard, and so every year for the last several years, as I cover Sam up in bed on New Year's Eve, I say the same thing to him. And every year, because of Sam's non-reaction, I find myself explaining it to him. But it's like explaining a joke - it becomes even less funny, or in this case, less clever, the deeper you get into it. The problem is, Sam gets it. Unlike me, he's just not that impressed by it.

I'll try it again next year.

For now, let's end this year as we ended last year and the year before it - with the same music to close out the night and to close out the year. Happy New Year to you all... and I'll see you next year. (Get it?   Hello?)