How Hanford saved New Year

Jan-2-10, 2:19 pm by Hanford
File under: fun

happy new year fireworks

If you remember (or still watch) any of the classic animated Christmas TV specials like Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer then you know how, year after year, Christmas comes this close to not happening -- until someone saves it. It's a timeless plot line that we see again and again.

However, this year, in real life, Happy New Year came this close to not happening for a crowd of ~~drunk~~ merry revelers in a San Francisco bar. And it was I who saved it.

We were all gathered at Smuggler's Cove for the big celebration. People had their champagne flutes in hand, and were packed shoulder to shoulder in the bar, waiting for the big event. Party hats were doned, and noisemakers were at the ready. The place was abuzz in excitement.

Then I heard someone say "my cellphone says it's midnight already." Hmmmm. I went to get mine out. Megan beat me to it, and hers said midnight too. I pulled out my iPhone and mine read 12:01!!

Thoughts ran through my head -- It's New Year already and we missed it? Where's the big Hazzah and "Happy New Year!"? I feared that a people throughout the bar, a few at a time, were going to check their watches, acknowledge it was past midnight, and quietly say to their friends "Happy New Year" in a muted voice. What else could they do? Look at their clock, see it's 12:02, and just yell at the top of their lungs "HAPPY NEW YEAR" without warning? Of course not.

This New Year was doomed to come in with a whimper. Without a big to-do. Without all the noise, merriment, and excitement of your friends and strangers experiencing it together (See: everyone who was at home for NYE). At this point, I heard someone else mention that it was already past New Year's as well. Things were looking bad.

I knew I had to do something. Like I mentioned above, I couldn't just blurt out "Happy New Year" because no one would yell it with me. Everyone would be caught off guard; it would be a few seconds before anyone else could acknowledge it, and then the moment would be lost. I couldn't announce it without warning. Without warning .... WITHOUT WARNING! THAT'S IT!*

In a burst of inspiration, I said something like "Okay, here comes the countdown" and then just started yelling at the top of my lungs "FIVE! ... FOUR! ... THREE! ..." By the time I got to Three, most of the people around me had joined in. Mind you, this countdown wasn't synced to a clock or anything. I wasn't even looking at my watch. I was just hoping it would give everyone enough warning to say "Happy New Year!" when I got to zero, and start celebrating all at the same time.

It worked. Everyone chimed in, and everyone in Smuggler's Cove celebrated the New Year together with a lot of hooping, hollaring, and merriment.

Two or three minutes after everyone else in San Francisco.

Happy New Year everyone!

*No, that's not exactly how the countdown idea actually popped in my head, but that's how it happens in Christmas TV specials. And I know, this whole story could have been a four sentence post. So much for my resolution of blogging smaller, to-the-point posts.

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How Hanford saved New Year

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