CFN – I hastily kicked my feet out of my ridiculously sparkly heels as everyone scrambled for a chair. I found one, pulled it over to my friend, who was already perched atop her own, and quickly hopped up onto it. It was loud. All around everyone was screaming and shouting, and finally the countdown started from ten. The anticipation in the room was palpable. You could hear it churning within every shout of a new number. And finally, it happened: we reached the New Year!As we shouted ‘one’, everybody pushed off their feet, throwing themselves up into the air and landing briskly on our feet, as we had now jumped into the new year. It was a jump that could relieve us of our pasts; enable us to create our own future. Our own— brand new— year. Some landed in a frivolous manner with limbs flailing in all directions, while others were more graceful in their descent and landing. It doesn’t matter how you landed, or where you were when you did, because odds are, the strike of midnight leading into 2012 doesn’t depict the way that the rest of your year will be.
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Even if your New Years was one of the best days of your life, it doesn’t mean that the upcoming year will be the best for you, as it is just another day. New Years eve, my host parents had twelve guests arrive shortly before six and we had a huge feast soon after we watched the Queen of Danmark give her New Years speech on the television.
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There was so much food to go around, as everyone made a dish and brought it over, and although a lot of it was fish and I don’t particularly enjoy fish, the rest of the meal was delicious! The food was eaten over the course of five hours, so all the guests enjoyed eating and talking, but my sister and I both left after about three hours to go out with our friends, respectively. Celebrating the New Year in Denmark was an amazing experience, and was an entirely different experience. For one, there were fireworks. Everywhere. All day. I think the earliest I heard them were at 11 am.
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From there, they just continued the whole day to the point where it was nearly a constant sound of loud noises outside. When it actually got dark, it was amazing to have the privilege to see! So, as the clock struck midnight, and everyone had safely landed on the floor, with confetti falling gently around us from the confetti gun, we raced to the door and stood outside in the chilly night air as we watched all the fireworks light up the sky. It was absolutely breathtaking and exciting and such a different experience compared to watching the ball drop on television!
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One of the other traditions that they have in Denmark, is that if you have money with you as the new year hits, then you will have good luck in the new year with all your finances…Well, I jumped into the year with 350 kroner on me ($70) so here’s to hoping that the new year brings me even more luck with my finances! 
Happy New Year everyone, hope all good things come to you!
Happy New Year everyone, hope all good things come to you! Tabatha Pilon is a 17 year old student from Cornwall Ontario spending a year in Denmark. She will be writing to us each week or as her “gymnasium” schedule allows. If you have questions for her or would like to sponsor her column email us at info@cornwallfreenews.com
