New Years Means You Can't Always Get What You Want. Sort of like the rest of life.

New Years has always been a big deal in my family, although we've simplified a few of our traditions. We've gone from entire grocery bags filled to the brim with confetti to a single, illicit handful, furtively tossed by my nephew.

The-Guy-Who-Knows-A-Song-About-A-Chicken not only shares my love for songs about poultry, but has also brought us a new tradition, called a Turducken. That means a dead chicken stuffed inside a dead duck stuffed inside a dead turkey.My brother said he's impressed they can market any food which begins with the word "turd" and then he proceeded to write a short song about it. Turducken has now been the food centerpiece three years running.

We've been listening to the Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want" at the stroke of midnight since I was too young to remember (also known as the early 70s). I predict this tradition spreads across the USA to become more popular than whatever that ball dropping thing is.

One tradition I'd like to see minimized - lately we seem to make our way into the ER each winter vacation. Last year my brother used his knee to stop a sled carrying a full grown adult. Needless to say crutches and physical therapy were in order.

This year my sweet pea had a post viral restricted airway, more commonly known as an asthma attack. Would you believe she was a good enough sport to pose for a picture?Not to be outdone, my littlest nephew's trip to the ER involved strep throat. He's a good sport too. And he offered to let me take a picture of his red throat (ok, he didn't). But you can never have enough pictures of a baby in a guitar case:

Some traditions I hope we never give up. I hope my brother will continue to wear a silly hat while pouring a champagne tower. It just makes me happy.So does the dancing:Even better if followed by guitar:Happy New Years everyone! This one brought to you by the Rolling Stones, as always:

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
but if you try sometimes
you just might just find you get what you need.

And if you hang out with us, you might just find you get what you need AND some turducken too.

Turducken picture: Turducken