Partygoers at the Rochester Senior Center on December 31 flaunted that it is never too early in the day to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and it’s never too late to make a change with a few New Year’s resolutions.
Seniors from all over Tri-Town filled the banquet room at the senior center on Dexter Lane this past Thursday to say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016, even if there were still another ten or so hours left until the official start of the New Year.
While guests enjoyed live music and a hot luncheon together to celebrate the ending of one year and the start of a fresh new one, volunteers were busy helping to clean up while Sharon and Woody Hartley prepared the dessert in the kitchen, heaping servings of bread pudding onto plates for Council on Aging volunteers to pass out.
Once the cookies and cakes were eaten, enough punch had been consumed, and the bread pudding went down in gastronomical history, COA Director Sharon Lally took the microphone to the center of the room, reminded her senior guests that New Year’s Eve meant it was time to make resolutions for the New Year, and called out, “Who’s got a resolution?”
“In with the new, out with the old, right?” Lally encouraged her guests to speak out and share their aspirations for the New Year.
Some shouted out, “To get rid of the junk in the house!” Others said they were generally going to try to be a better person, and a few vowed to shed those extra pounds this year. Yet it was Peggy Brown who had her own idea for the perfect New Year’s diet, and a few others seemed to like the sound of it.
“I’m going to lose 20 more pounds,” said Brown, patting her belly, “with a special diet of whipped cream, ice cream…”
Lally liked the sound of that.
“Sounds like my type of diet,” joked Lally.
Winnie Hartley, 96, the “most senior of us in the room,” as Lally put it, said her resolution was to get up in the morning and take care of herself, adding, “And not be a pain in the butt!”
Lally traveled around the room, giving turns with the mike as more guests hoped to become more organized in 2016, not argue so much with their families, and lose that weight.
Sandie DeMoranville had an entirely different idea for her New Year’s resolution, vowing to find a suitable beau for her granddaughter.
“She’s tall and very beautiful and single,” said DeMoranville.
“Well, I don’t think she’ll find him in this room,” replied Lally smiling.
Some simply wished for a milder winter than last year’s all-time snowiest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as outside temperatures that day reached the low 60s in Tri-Town.
Lally said the COA had a few resolutions of its own.
“To grow our fitness room program and, hopefully, do more fundraising for our new addition for our day care,” said Lally.
Lally told guests to try out their noisemakers before the big countdown to be sure they were working properly, and said sparkling cider was on its way.
“I wish I could have some alcoholic bubbly for you, but I can’t do that,” Lally said, eliciting a few disappointed groans from the crowd. “But we’ll have the spirit anyway!”
She said, perhaps 2015 wasn’t one of the better years to go down in history, but she left guests with one final hopeful thought for 2016:
“May we never have double snow on our roofs again!”
By Jean Perry
