"I wish we could do as they do in Norway.

The whole family sits up until midnight, and then, just as the clock is striking twelve, the father opens the door and welcomes the New Year in.

Isn't it a pretty custom ?" "If ma would let us stay up till twelve we might do that too," said Dan, "but she never will.

I call it mean." "If I ever have children I'll let them stay up to watch the New Year in," said the Story Girl decidedly.
"So will I," said Peter, "but other nights they'll have to go to bed at seven." "You ought to be ashamed, speaking of such things," said Felicity, with a scandalized face.
Peter shrank into the background abashed, no doubt believing that he had broken some Family Guide precept all to pieces.
"I didn't know it wasn't proper to mention children," he muttered apologetically.
"We ought to make some New Year resolutions," suggested the Story Girl.
"New Year's Eve is the time to make them." "I can't think of any resolutions I want to make," said Felicity, who was perfectly satisfied with herself.
"I could suggest a few to you," said Dan sarcastically.
"There are so many I would like to make," said Cecily, "that I'm afraid it wouldn't be any use trying to keep them all." "Well, let's all make a few, just for the fun of it, and see if we can keep them," I said.

"And let's get paper and ink and write them out.
That will make them seem more solemn and binding." "And then pin them up on our bedroom walls, where we'll see them every day," suggested the Story Girl, "and every time we break a resolution we must put a cross opposite it.