New Years Eve Parties

My parents were not drinkers and most new years eve parties is drinking. My parents decided since we have a large farm house to have their own new years eve party for all their non-drinking friends.  They had one every year for as long as I can remember where all their friends came. They had potluck dips, chips, cookies etc. whatever anyone wanted to bring and mom, Margie or Mini would buy presents for the winners of the pinochle games. They would play progressive pinochle and have presents for high scoring man, high scoring woman and funny gifts for the low scoring people.

Mom always held the parties at her house until we sold the farm and moved to town and they had a really small house they started going to Mini & Floyds though Mom and Mini still hosted it.  It always was a lot of work but I remember Mini coming out and them making candy all day. We always had divinity, fudge & peanut brittle.

When my dad got his hands cut off he could not hold the cards. Even though they sewed his hands back on they never were good for a whole lot. Floyd made him a card holder. It was a 4x4 with place cut in it to hold the cards and covered with felt so Dad could still play cards. He loved it because he always did hate to deal...lol

When dad passes away and many of the friends they still held the parties every New Years and I would play taxi cab for all the elderly folks in the snow to and from the party.

The sad thing is that finally so many of them have passed they don't have enough to play anymore. They have trouble getting just one table going and not enough for more so the parties have became a memory.  The only time my mom gets to play pinochle is when my friends Jim & Ann come up and then we play and she loves it. She can hardly wait for the evening to come where she can play cards.