Seriously…2010?! When did that happen? How did that happen? How in the world do I slow down my world just a bit? Guess I am probably not going to get that to happen. Every year for the last 9 years we have had children and that means our days of going “out on the town” for New Year’s parties just doesn’t happen anymore.
I am totally “ok” with that. I am a home body anyway… I much prefer being in my own home. So every year we open our doors to any other family friends with or without kiddos that would like to get out of the house and enjoy the New Year in a family friendly setting. Last year was so much fun because the kids actually made it all the way to midnight! Very exciting :-) They promptly passed out at 12:10am but hey they made it!
This year I am going to be adding “Good luck food” to the mix. When I first moved “down south” 17 years ago I had never heard of such a thing. I was very shortly schooled in the art of traditional New Years “good luck food”. Here the food seems to be cooked greens and black eyed peas. The kid in me screams “yucky!”. I, to this day, have never taken a single bite. I can’t get past the smell..lol :-) So I figured there had to be other “lucky” foods…right?
I was amazed to learn all about several different “lucky” traditions I had never heard of! Like eating 12 grapes before midnight, each grape representing a month in the year (watch out for the sour ones! They mean a bad month), eating pork or fish (those I can totally do), but of course my favorite will be….Olie Bollen (Dutch fritters).
But just as there are “good luck” foods I found out there are “bad luck” foods…a ying and a yang of sorts. The one that made me giggle was Lobster…because it can scurry backwards (think setbacks). No birds/foal either because they can fly away with your good luck…now that would just not be good!
Now the one thing I will not be thinking about will be New Years Resolutions…I have the hardest time keeping those things. I always just feel like a big failure. So I opt to make New Years “suggestions” to myself…like “I should probably lose 15 lbs this year.” See, no pressure! Makes it so I can still eat my Olie Bollen and drink my rum punch without feeling guilty 1 minute into the New Year for breaking my resolution ;-) Perhaps it will give me the luck I will need to lose the 15lbs suggested?
Happy New Year everyone!
Ann Landers put it nicely…
Let this coming New Year be better than all the others.
Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time.
Call up a forgotten friend.
Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories.
Vow not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep.
Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger.
Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you’. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.
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