It didn’t start with a party. It didn’t start with thinking about grabbing a friend, thinking about kissing them, thinking about how to turn a room full of strangers into something fun.
It started with family. With one sister transformed into an owl, the other casting spells left and right. A fiance, a muggle, tackling the evil witch to the ground as she summoned a dread portal. My cousin, asleep, muttering “burn them all”, while his boo throw force field after force field around to shield them all from harm.
That’s right, I rang in the new year playing impromptu stripped-down Dungeons and Dragons (in the Harry Potter Universe) with my family for the first time.
We had awkward flirting. Wizard speakeasies. A cigar chomping, bigoted boss who was possibly working for the wrong side of the law. A werewolf (but maybe not?) auror. Magic bakeries. Street urchins with guns.
Loved it.
What else did we find in 2018?
Dad learning to selfie. Hot showers in an airbnb. Five layers of clothing. Discovering a gem of a coffeeshop in the frozen plains of astoria. So many words with friends. Romance in the air. A row of family members, all on their laptops.
We are going to make it through this year, if it kills us.