January 31 2002. 11:54 PM.
"Look what I got!" Jessie cried as she pulled herself up onto the desk. Her fellow toys were sitting in front of the TV, their plastic eyes glued to the screen.
"Shhh…"
"Aw come on you guys, it's really neat!"
Buzz turned around and gave her an encouraging smile. "What is it, Jessie?" Grinning, she held up a sock for them all to see.
"A sock?" said Potato Head scornfully.
"Not a sock!" Opening the top, Jessie reached inside and pulled out a hand full of glitter and construction paper dots. "I made New Year's confetti! Ta-da!"
"And you put it in a sock?"
"Forget the sock! At midnight let's all throw some!"
"And who's going to clean it up, Calamity Jessie?" Hamm said scornfully.
Jessie scowled. She looked like she was about to say something sarcastic when Buzz stood up. "How about after midnight we go out on the roof of the garage and throw it out there?" he said gently.
Jessie smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Buzz," she said, twisting the sock cuff in her hands.
Rex stared at the drooping sock almost despondently. "Do you think Andy'll get to throw confetti at his friend's party?"
Buzz and Jessie took their seats in front of the TV. "Actually, I heard him tell Mom that they're going to shoot off Silly String."
Slinky rested his face on his paws, looking glum. "We've ain't never had a New Year's without Andy before."
"I know…but just think of it as a night off, I guess."
"I'd rather have a night with Andy," whimpered Rex.
Buzz hesitated. He looked around for help and that's when he noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where's Woody?"
Potato Head rolled his eyes in disgust. "He and Princess Bloomers snuck out twenty minutes ago. Probably neckin' or something…OW!" He rubbed his ear where Jessie had given him a hard pinch. "What was that for?"
"That's my best friend you're talkin' about," said Jessie crossly.
"What's 'necking?'" asked Rex. Jessie began to snicker.
"Uh, it's nothing Rex," Buzz mumbled. "Come on, the Ball's going to drop soon. Let's just watch."
Bo was sitting on the window sill in Mom's bedroom, looking out into the night sky when Woody pulled himself up beside her. "I'm back." She smiled as he held up a cookie. "Last Oreo of 2002."
Each taking a half, they twisted the cookie apart. "So," Woody said as they snacked. "Any New Year's Resolutions?"
"To give you a kiss every day."
"You already do that."
"Well then, you see?" she said. "I won't have any problems fulfilling it. That's the trouble with most New Year's Resolutions. They're too unrealistic."
Woody grinned. "Okay, what are your real resolutions?"
Bo finished her Oreo half and dusted the crumbs off her hands lightly. "To lose my sheep less often…and to knit a sweater. What about you?"
There was a rolled up piece of paper sticking out of Woody's holster and now he pulled it out. Unfurling it, he began to read out loud. "'One: Increase battery check to twice a month. Two: Find a way to make sleeping in the toy chest more comfortable for everybody. Three: Research puberty and adolescence. Four: Don't let Potato Head bug me as much. Five: Set up some kind of talent night. Six…'"
"May I see?" Woody handed the paper to Bo. Her blue eyes looked over the long list of items. "Mind if I add one thing?"
He shrugged. "Go for it."
Standing up, Bo walked to the side of the sill. Using her crook, she pole vaulted over the edge to Mom's desk, her skirt billowing out as she did. On the slick mahogany surface, she looked around until she spotted a ballpoint pen, then scooped it up with the rounded end of her staff.
From his spot where he hadn't moved, Woody watched Bo as she jotted something down. Seemly satisfied, she gracefully jumped back onto the sill, then rejoined him. She pressed the paper into his hands. "There."
Woody looked at what she had written under the list of his resolutions. In her delicate swooping handwriting was a single word:
RELAX.
Fireworks began to crash outside. Bright lights began to flash through the window, illuminating the room. Bo stood at the glass, enjoying the show, every new color reflecting on her white porcelain.
Woody watched her for a moment, her beauty even more dazzling than usual in the spectacular rainbow that was dancing across her face. He looked down at the paper still clutched in his hand. Relax. He smiled.
Standing up, he brushed the list aside and joined Bo at the window. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he placed a light kiss at the base of her neck.
"Happy New Year's, Blue Eyes."
"Happy New Year's, Sheriff."