"I could make fireworks! I'll have to look up the spell, but I could make it work, I'm sure!"

Aderyn grinned and nibbled on a gingerbread man.

"I think that sounds perfect - a nice, quiet New Year's Eve with friends."

( )

Gaia started laughing as her friend spoke up almost at the same time. "I loooooove cornbread! Let's do it! I will stop by the kitchens later tonight. We could go to the library and get some books about making sparklers as well! Maybe we can have fun creating firework shapes!"

"Hooray!! We're going to ring this new year in right!" Ethel whooped when Aderyn promised them fireworks. "Course the fireworks means it won't exactly be quiet...but it'll still be amazing!"

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot about sparklers," she added with a snap of her fingers. "Thank goodness for our party director or we would have been missing out."

()

Gaia laughed really loudly even she surprised herself starting another fit of laughter. "party director! I like the title! Any traditions you have in receiving the new year?" Gaia looked at her other friends "Any of you have traditions you do to receive the New Year?" ( )

"A trip to the library sounds great! I'm sure we'll find all sorts of things to really make the new year pop!"

She finished her gingerbread cookie and took out her wand with a grin, waving it around and making rainbow colored sparks shoot from the tip of it like a sparkler.

"We don't have any particular new year traditions, we usually just drink pumpkin juice and butterbeer and wait for midnight to come with a bit of music on."

"Just the ususal waiting 'til midnight and drinking juice and butterbeer like Aderyn () on my end," Adrien added in, overhearing inquiring about New Year's traditions. He snagged another brownie and sipped on a pumpkin juice, "We can't forget the wizard crackers either! You never know what you'll get from one of those things," He said with a wide grin across his face.

"Yes! I love Christmas crackers - I've got a floral bonnet and a pair of owl earrings that hoot occasionally at home from last year."

( ) "Oh! I guess my mom comes from a place with many traditions and superstitions! We could always start our own traditions!" Gaia said while looking at the sparkles on Aderyn's wand.

"Ooh, we should have a cheese and chocolate fondue station. I love fondue. We need lots of fruit and marshmallows."

"My family usually eats twelve grapes at midnight. It's a tradition."

"I'd love to start our own traditions! There are so many neat things we could do!"

She considered Beth's family tradition.

"That is by far the most unique one I've ever heard! I bet there's a great story behind how that started."

( ) "Yeah! We can make our own traditions!" Adrien agreed with Gaia. He was excited, his family never really did anything special but drink for the New Year and he wasn't going to pass up this chance.

He nodded when Aderyn replied to Beth, "What is the story for that one? I bet it'd be very interesting to see how that tradition started," he finished with a big smile towards Beth.

"look at this book!" Gaia set one of the books she was carrying on the floor for everyone to see. "This part right here. There is a Scotland tradition for muggles that made me giggle."

"Here Beth, there is an entry for the grapes! It says: The Spanish ritual on New Year's eve is to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The tradition is meant to secure twelve happy months in the coming year. It sounded familiar to me! My mom's ancestors are Spaniards. Where my mom comes from this is one of the traditions that have faded through time."

"It seems muggles have two things that are really important traditions. Resolutions and Fireworks!" Gaia kept reading "um it says here that resolutions believed the first day of the new year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year. That doesn't sound very happy." Considering something for a moment "What if we do it differently. We write parchments of old things to leave behind this year and toss it in the fireplace and write what we want for the new year to keep till next New Year. We can support each other throughout the year to achieve our goals!"

"I do like the idea of the United States to do a ball drop. We could charm one here!" Gaia giggled getting up to refil her hot chocolate. "Any ideas? Anything else from the other books?"

"I love the parchment idea! We could enchant the papers to really spark and pop in the flames for extra fun! It would be like looking more positively at our mistakes - as learning opportunities rather than regrets!"

"My family also melts lead over a candle in a small pan. We then pour the melted lead in cold water and try to interpret the shape it takes. We each take turns pouring the lead. The shape is suppose to predict our future for the year. It's called Bleigießen."

"I think both of these traditions originate from the Muggle side of family. Both of my parents are half-bloods."

"I love your parchment idea," Beth told Gaia.

"Oh, I've heard of something like that! I remember when I was little, my family visited some friends for the Holidays, and they did the same thing except with candle wax instead of lead! That might be fun - and it might get us bonus marks in Divination!"

She grinned, always thinking like a Ravenclaw.

((OOC: MAN! That down time really killed what I wanted to do for the New Year O_O I hope you are all having a great beginning of the year!!!!! hugs))

"I think we can all take a piece of parchment and get rid of old things and create a new list for the new year. I have some boxes to keep the new goals and small keepsakes." Gaia looked through the boxes by the gift table and brought some boxes out. "Here." Standing with her hands full of boxes "grab one."

( )

Aderyn stepped up to the gift table and picked up a small box, also snagging a sheet of parchment. She moved over to another nearby table with more space on it and chewed on her quill absentmindedly as she considered what she was going to write down. It took her a moment to come up with the first thing she wanted to get rid of.

1. Fear of flying on a broomstick.

Pursing her lips, she paused to consider her next item.

"That's a really neat tradition," Elune told Beth (). "Is it supposed to show what's to come in the year ahead?" She asked, hoping the wax custom was just for fun. Her attempts to "see" the future were rather feeble.

She watched Aderyn () take a box from before grabbing her own. "Thanks," she murmured. She bit her lip as she thought of something to work toward.

Improve at dueling, she noted. And Spend more time with friends. She blew on the sheet and watched it fly into the box. Then, she pondered what to get rid of--something that weighed her down.

"It is! I'm terrible at it though. I can just hear Professor Trelawney saying I do not possess the Inner Eye."

She walked up to the gift table and grabbed one of the boxes. "Thanks, ."

She pondered, not knowing what to write down. Grabbing her quill and a piece of parchment, she began scribbling down her resolutions.

1. Worry less. Stop overthinking.
2. Become more confident. Don't be afraid to take some risks.
3. Learn something new.
4. Reconnect with an old friend.
5. Take a daily walk.

"This is an amazing idea!" She enthused. "Out with the old and in with the new. That's something I can get behind." Not wasting anymore time, Ethel snagged a box of her own along with a quill and parchment. Then she stared intently at the latter while fiddling with the quill in her hand. Finally she tentatively put quill to parchment.

Procrastinate less!

Of course that had been her resolution for the past three years. But at least she was consistent! She was procrastinating on her resolution to procrastinate less!

Once she was finished she gave a smile. "That sounds like a neat idea! As long as someone else does the interpreting that is. I'd be too nervous I'd get it wrong!'