Happy New Year, Via Facebook

My grandmother had a tradition of opening the front door at the stroke of midnight on New Year's. That way, she said, the old year could get out while you welcomed in the new one. I continued that tradition for a long time, until it got harder and harder to make it up until midnight. This year, however, I can start a new midnight tradition that won't require toothpicks holding up my eyelids: Facebook's New Year's Midnight Delivery service.

Part of Facebook Stories, Facebook's New Year's Midnight Delivery service lets users write New Year's greetings and have them automatically sent to their friends at midnight in each person's respective time zone.

Facebook suggests friends to send the greetings to, but the list seems to be completely random. (It's not organized by, say, people you are in contact with the most on the network or whose last name you share.) The network even suggests the wording of the message: "Have a Happy New Year and a great 2013!" Of course, you can choose whom you send the message to and what you say to those people. You can also attach photos to your greeting -- maybe for those friends who did not catch your Facebook Year in Review.

Will you be ensuring that auld acquaintance not be forgot with Facebook's New Year's Midnight Delivery service? For that matter, did Facebook take the place of personal and corporate holiday cards this year? Please let us know in the comments section below.

And, while it may not be midnight, here's to a great 2013!

Follow Deb Donston-Miller on Twitter at @debdonston.

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