Update:

Cheers! Salute!

Zeke had a great idea on New Year’s Eve — to celebrate on Italian time. That meant we could count down to ‘midnight’ at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard, which is a lot more reasonable given Zeke’s 2:00 a.m. wake up time. This could become a tradition!

Happy New Year from No Kids, Will Travel!

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When you’re married to someone who works in the news business, holidays are… interesting. New Year’s Eve is no exception. While I’ll be off work (like most typical Americans), Zeke will need to be awake at the usual 2:00 a.m. to start his trip in to the TV station for his morning shift. I used to work in the TV news business, too, so at least Zeke has a wife who understands the demands of the job.

Most years, our New Year’s Eve is a typical evening at home (although every five years or so we do get lucky and it falls on a weekend!). We have dinner, watch a little TV to unwind, and then Zeke is snoozing (sometimes snoring) by about 9:00 p.m. I stay up and watch the ball drop next to him in bed. As the celebrations get underway in earnest in Times Square, I give Zeke a little tap on the shoulder and wake him enough for a kiss before turning out the light and starting the new year with a nice snooze.

It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong. I’m a lucky girl who gets to start every new year with her best friend at her side. Still, we do dream of spending the holidays – including New Year’s – in our favorite city: Florence, Italy.

Image courtesy The Florentine

Florence is a breathtaking city any day of the year, but it pulls out all the stops over the holidays to embrace the spirit of the season.

The massive, brilliantly-lit fir tree and nativity scene outside the city’s iconic duomo (church, pictured left), are annual displays. This year the city is even brighter as Florence celebrates 30 years since it first qualified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A total of 13 Florentine treasures, including the San Lorenzo market and piazza, the church of Santo Spirito, Ponte Santa Trinita, and the basilica of Santa Maria Novella, are adorned with lights.

New Year’s celebrations are planned across the city, including music from Italian rock band Subsonica in Station Square and an opera concert at the St. Mark’s English Church.

The ice rink in Freedom Square will also be open until midnight on New Year’s Eve for residents and visitors who want to welcome 2013 on skates.

Florence’s ex-pat community traditionally gathers to welcome each new year. As 2013 approaches, members of InterNations will gather at the News Cafe for food, drink and a “gathering of global minds”.

It all sounds wonderful, and I can’t help but imagine spending New Year’s Eve with Zeke in our city, but I’ll happily settle for our traditional snooze-fest for now.