So where and how did you celebrate New Year’s Eve?

The poll question in last week’s Faribault County Register asked what is the traditional way that you and your family celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Well, I am not sure my family has ever had a traditional way.

Take this past New Year’s Eve, a week ago or so.

My wife, Pam and I, celebrated it in California. In fact, we celebrated Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (sort of) in California.

Now, before you get too jealous and start imagining that we were in sunshine and balmy temps, let me explain that we were in northern California, about a two hour drive east of San Francisco, and the weather was mostly cloudy, overcast, rainy, foggy and chilly. Lows in the morning were around 37 degrees and highs in the afternoon were around 54 degrees.

Still, we were not there for the weather. We were there to celebrate Christmas and some birthdays with our son Nate and family who once lived in Blue Earth for a couple of years when he was the warehouse manager at Seneca. And our granddaughter, Lauren, is a native Blue Earthian, having been born at UHD some 15 years ago. We had a great time. Visited Sausalito and Capitola and Knight’s Ferry, all interesting little touristy-type towns. Celebrated Christmas and several December birthdays. Nate, Lauren and our grandson Andrew all have December birthdays.

Oh, we also watched the Vikings beat the Packers, at 10 a.m. on Sunday, California time. I don’t care that the game had no implications and meant nothing, I don’t care that the Packers didn’t play all their starters. I don’t care that the Vikings still didn’t look super sharp. I only care that anytime the Vikings beat the Packers it means the season has had some success.

The one good thing about the Vikings not making the playoffs this year is that I don’t have to be fearful and nervous about them looking bad and getting defeated in the playoffs. I can just relax and watch the games calmly.

But I digress. Back to California. And New Year’s Eve.

Our flight home was set to leave San Francisco at 6:15 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Since our son and family live about two hours from the airport, and since we wanted to be there two hours early, we left at 2 p.m. in the fog and pouring rain.

On our drive there, we got text messages several times. The flight was delayed until 7:30, then 8:30. So we went out to eat and then went to the airport.

The flight was then delayed until 10:30, then 11:30, then 12:30 a.m.

We had set up camp in the gate area waiting and reading books. Along with a bunch of other folks.

You would think it was a weather-related delay, but no, it was that the taillight was out on the back of the plane, and Sun Country was flying a new plane in from Minneapolis. You would think they could just change out the light bulb, but no.

The replacement plane came in at 11:15 and we boarded it at 11:45. Forty-five minutes later we were still on the tarmac and had not taken off. At midnight we, and others, said Happy New Year, but no one sounded real happy.

The plane finally took off at 1 a.m., and we landed in Minneapolis at 6 a.m. Minnesota time. And then drove the two hours home getting back to Blue Earth at around 8:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

Just in time to watch the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, where, guess what, it was raining.

So, not the most fun New Year’s Eve we have ever had.

Over the years, we have had many an “adventure” flying to places. This was not the first time, by far, that we have faced delays or long times in the airport. We always call them adventures. Once we got delayed overnight in Puerto Rico, for instance. Or in Denver, or in Atlanta, or overnight in Dallas, Texas. Or the time we flew from airport to airport in several states, in several different planes, trying to get home. We went from Chattanooga to Nashville to St. Louis to Minneapolis, back to St. Louis and ended the day in Sioux Falls.

Now that was a big adventure. We could have driven home in less time.

We are not alone in having issues with flying. Talk to anyone about flying and they all have their own stories about delays or other issues. But, it is useless to get upset, so just look at it as another adventure and be sure to have a good book along to read. Although, these days people have movies or video games on their phones instead.

So, where did we spend New Year’s Eve? Probably not in a plane sitting on the ground in San Francisco, I’ll bet.