I was six years old the first time I stayed up until midnight – or at least it was the first time I can remember staying up until midnight. According to my mother, as a baby, I was allergic to breast milk, cow’s milk and all formulas and it was several weeks before they figured out the only milk my little body could handle was goat’s milk.

I’m sure there were many times I stayed awake past midnight and possibly most of the night with stomach issues those first few weeks of my life, but as far as conscientiously staying awake until midnight, it wasn’t until I was six.

I remember it so vividly because New Year’s Eve 1975 was a big deal. The United States of America would turn 200 years old during 1976 and the Bicentennial was celebrated all year long, starting at the stroke of midnight January 1, 1976.

Our entire family was excited about that New Year’s Eve 1975 night. I remember we had several family or friends at our house on Carpenter Street in Jena and I know for a fact it was a party – even on a Wednesday night.

My little mind etched the memories of that night clearly and while I may not remember what I had for breakfast this morning, I can recall the fun of that New Year’s Eve party with clarity. I remember the red, white and blue streamers, hats and even those obnoxious blow horns that extend out when blown. No doubt my parents regretted having those around with all us kids in the house.

Our big 6,000-pound console television set only got three or four channels but it didn’t matter that night, because whatever channel had the big ball drop in New York City was on was what it was tuned to when midnight arrived.

All of us kids were in other rooms playing when the announcement was yelled out that it was almost time. We all came running into the living room and sat in our two feet of shag carpet in front of that big old TV during the final seconds of 1975.

When the countdown got to 10, we all joined in as if we were Houston Control counting down liftoff of an Apollo rocket. As the big ball reached the bottom, we all shouted and blew our horns and celebrated the New Year. Even after everyone tried to sing “Auld Lang Syne” (which nobody knew all the words), I remember just being amazed that I had done it…I had stayed up until midnight to ring in the new year.

To be honest, I don’t remember much after that. I’m sure it was just a matter of time before I was fast asleep, after all, a six-year-old who wasn’t used to staying up that late couldn’t have lasted long.

But the excitement of a new year and ringing it in with family and friends was a great experience and one that I cherish. I’m not sure if we had the same celebration the following year, perhaps we did, but I guess as a child, nothing could compare to that 1975-1976 experience. About three years later my parents would divorce and we would never all celebrate a new year again as a complete family.

As time went by in my early childhood life, I’m sure I stayed up and celebrated the new year at other times, but nothing compared to that time in my radical young life in the 1970s.

In my teenage years, staying up late was much easier and we often stayed up until midnight to celebrate the new year. I never was much of a “partier” so most of my experiences were just having fun with family and friends as the new year arrived.

While serving on staff at many churches from the 1990’s through 2000s, we would often have “Watch Night” services on New Years Eve. Each church I served did it differently. Some would have preaching and singing for hours up to midnight while others would play games, have activities and events for everyone from hayrides to scavenger hunts to volleyball games. Some combined both but all of the Watch Night services would end the same, with the entire church stopping whatever they were doing just before midnight to officially “pray in” the new year.

I haven’t heard of a church having a watch night service in many years. Any logical person might draw the conclusion that the condition of our country might be related to the fact that we no longer “pray in” the new year. It appears we are far beyond a logical country now.

But whether it was celebrating with a church family singing hymns, enduring the bad preachers to get to the good preachers, playing volleyball, running all over Jena doing a scavenger hunt, or simply watching college football bowl games during the night, what makes staying up until midnight on New Years Eve isn’t about the activity as much as it is about the company.

Ringing in the New Year isn’t the same if you’re by yourself. It’s the laughter, the fun, the food, all made possible by family and friends.

Now that I’m in my late 50’s, staying up until midnight is not as exciting as it was as that six-yearold boy on Carpenter Street or as a teenager with energy to burn. In fact, the thought of staying up until midnight is not exciting at all. Barring some type of emergency, it just isn’t going to happen today. My aged body is screaming for its bed by 10 p.m. because it knows I will be wide awake come 5 a.m. (Funny how life is, isn’t it? When you’re young, you stay up late and sleep late and when you’re older you go to bed early and wake up early.)

Yes, staying up until midnight to ring in the new year is a young person’s game. All of us aged people will gladly ring in the new year at 9 p.m. and then promptly fall asleep by 10.

But whether you ring in the new year at 9 or midnight, do it with family and friends. Make it special and thank God you survived yet another year.

Might I also suggest that we all stop for just a moment, at whatever time you celebrate the new year, and “pray in” 2025. Thank God for all your blessings and recommit yourself to his service in the coming year.