It is hard to make out what Grandma is saying because of the four different conversations going on at the family table between 12 people.

I have recently realized that right before dinner is when Grandma gets excited and starts to add vowels to every word forming a cheap yet entertaining Italian accent. In part because I was the last one to the table but also in part because I get a kick out of hearing Grandma mutter these words, I ignored the different table conversations and listened closely to what Grandma was saying.

With a big smile, she muttered, "The pastaa is aa readyyy." Finally getting the satisfaction of hearing her accent, I was prepared to eat the traditional Sunday sauce as well as the Italian tradition of eating lentils for the New Year. After Grandma shouted "Buon Apetit," I could finally focus on the many different conversations going on around me.

In one conversation Grandma revealed that Aunt Victoria, who flew in from North Carolina and stayed at Grandma's for the holidays, had a dream. If anyone else had a dream we wouldn't pay too much attention but Aunt Victoria's dreams have been known to happen in real life.

As a kid, she had a dream that her Aunt Dorothy died. The next day after her dream, Aunt Charlene died of old age at 96. Already knowing the power of Aunt Victoria's dreams, everybody was listening attentively.

A few days before Aunt Victoria was hanging out with one of her old friends, who happens to be the daughter of one of my Grandma's best friends as well as my sixth-grade math teacher, Mrs. Baker.

Aunt Victoria said that in her dream she saw Papa, her father who passed away almost 15 years ago, who told her three things about Mrs. Baker 1) She is going to pass 2) She is sick 3) She is fine. We all thought it was weird. However, she didn't know which option is true nor did anyone else at the table. But we were all somewhat concerned given the accuracy of her dreams.

Then, conversation shifted away from the spooky dreams of our Aunt and towards something more upbeat: our New Years Eve party. This year, unlike past years where one family hosted 30-40 people to watch the ball drop, we spent the the night at a local Italian restaurant that hosted a party of 20 people.

Grandma and everyone else at the table could not stop talking about how much of a good time she had as well as how much fun she saw everybody else had. Grandma's sister, Aunt Carrol, drank a little too much which to me was given that she 81 years old and still enjoying life. I asked how Grandma how she got home and Grandma said that my Uncle dropped her off.

Curious because we don't get to spend much time with Aunt Carrol I asked, "How did she get there?" "Access a ride," Grandma said.

I asked "Does that work all the time? Does it take you anywhere you want to go?"

Grandma wasn't sure the hours but she knew that it only works in New York City so if you have to go to Long Island then it will drop you off at the border and the same thing with Jersey.

"Really?" I said, "Do you have to be a certain age to ride it?" Grandma said, "No you just have to have a doctor's note because Aunt Carrol had two surgeries on her knees." Someone mentioned that there is something like access a ride upstate NY when conversation shifted again.

My cousin asked if we were doing anything this year for vacation. Usually, most of our conversations when the family is all together is about planning our family vacations or getting excited for them. Usually every year we rent out a shore house down the Jersey shore for somewhere between 15-20 people for two weeks. However the past two years we booked to family vacation cruises that were fun for my older cousins and me but not so much fun for the adults.

This year everyone is uncertain. Aunt Cynthia is afraid of going on a cruise because she gets seasick easily, although she may be willing to go on one this year. My mom is not looking to spend too much time trapped on a boat and would much rather prefer taking a plane to a destination like Florida where the weather is nice and there is plenty of things to do for everyone. Then it was understood that this conversation would be continued during Easter but for now, everyone was still digesting the great time we had the night before.

My Uncle asked me if I was hungover to which I said no. The answer surprised everyone including myself being that I drank a concoction of different liquors.

Then my Uncle asked my brother, Joe, the same question and his answer was surprisingly the same. Yet Joe could not stop talking about our Uncle Mark, who was hands down the life of the party. Joe asked me "Did you see what Uncle Mark did when it turned New Years?"

Even though I saw what Mark did I said "No" so that Joe could continue the story. He stood on the table and shouted "HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! FORGET WHAT PEOPLE THINK WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE ANYWAYS." Then Joe proceeded to mention that when I was dancing that Mark went and got two bottles of Fireball and said confidently "Don't Worry about it I know the owner," and then the waiter proceeded to bring over the bottles.

Joe and I shared a laugh over the fact that our cousin Rocco, who spent a semester at a Jesuit college, thought he could out drink Uncle Mark who was downing glasses of straight Vodka the whole night. When Uncle Mark heard what Rocco said he responded "No way bro, No way."

By the time dinner was over we spent about 2.5 to 3 hours eating, as we normally do when celebrating the Holidays together. Every single one of us had a great time on New Year's Eve and would not have wanted to spend that time doing anything else other than being with the family.

Growing up Italian, we are lucky to be a part of a family that places so much importance on family. We are lucky that we get to spend every Holiday with each other. We are lucky to share so many memories together as a family. And we are lucky that God has blessed us with such a healthy family and we show our thanks by spending each holiday together.