Let's start with the preparation. The magic begins long before the chimes strike, when the whole family simultaneously decides that it's time to turn the kitchen into a strategic headquarters. Everyone is busy with their own thing: someone is cutting Olivier salad (and always tastes it for "salt", about a hundred grams), someone is hunting for a hot iron to have time to smooth out the tablecloth before the guests arrive, and someone (we won't point fingers) is eating tangerines straight from a vase on the table. Then — a decorated Christmas tree. It would seem, what's so difficult about it? But there will always be someone who says, "Where's the garland from last year?" Naturally, no one can find the garland, but they do find Father Frost with a torn-off beard, who scares the cat, and tinsel that looks more like a bitten-off piece of shiny rope. But the tree still looks gorgeous, because it's our tree!
And then the real magic begins. The New Year's table is a separate chapter. It seems to be able to magically expand to accommodate everything: from three salads to a bowl of tangerines. And, of course, for some reason in the morning you discover that you've eaten mostly just one salad, but for some reason you feel as if you've tried the entire restaurant menu.
And here it is - 23:59. Everyone gets up from the sofas, huddles together, and a parade of funny and slightly chaotic movements begins. Someone is urgently looking for a spoon for luck, someone is catching up with a running child with a candy in hand, and someone (that's me) is finally chewing the last piece of pie to make a wish on a full stomach. And when the chimes strike and the glasses clink, you look at everyone around you and understand: yes, magic is exactly them. These people, this laughter, this noise and disorder, this smell of tangerines and a Christmas tree. And even if you then have to sort out a mountain of dishes and look for a cat that hid somewhere in shock from the fireworks, but in these few hours everyone is truly happy. And happiness is real magic. Happy New Year, friends! Let your New Year's Eve be filled with more laughter, love and, of course, a little magic! Maria.