As I sit here thinking about the day ahead, I have to tell you, I'm not a great lover of New Years Eve. Yes, along the way I have had some good times with good friends. But as a rule, they have mostly been non events.
Well, there was that one year when I met my future husband on New Years Eve in 1983. By New Years Eve 1984, we were sitting home, in front of our first Christmas tree as husband and wife.
But other than a few standout years, they all passed by pretty much same old, same old. When we started having kids, we stayed at home, invited all of our friends who didn't have plans or babysitters and just sat around the table enjoying each others company. Something that we would have been doing had it been New Years Eve or any other day of the year.
When midnight came around, the kids emptied the kitchen cabinets of every pot, pan, lid and spoon. Headed outside, and marched around the block. Banging the pots and pans to bring in the new year. Then Devin (a dark haired male) had to be the first one to walk through the front door backwards. Don't know why we did that, but who know why traditions start. Harriet told me to do it, so I did.
The night would close with each of us breaking off a piece of the New Years Pretzel.
The next day, the kids woke up to the smell of pork and sauerkraut.mmmmmmmmm.
Did anyone else bang pots and pans on New Years? As my friend Ruth mentioned in her blog post, it was something we did growing up in Pittsburgh. My father would make us newspaper hats, we would gather all the pots and pans in the house. At the stroke of midnight, we ran outside and marched up and down the street banging the pots and pans together.
I guess I could make something up about the symbolism. Something like it's to make sure you have enough food to cook in the new year or something like that. But I'm pretty sure it was just that they made the most noise.
One of the few years I spent away from home on new years was in 1980. I was living the life in DC. We had a party (of course)at our apartment. When midnight was approaching, my friend Judo and I started handing out the pots and pans. People looked at us like we were crazy!!! We ran outside at midnight, I think we were the only ones out there. Weird.
Anyway........while New Years brings out a certain sadness in me, it also brings out some hope. Hope that better days are ahead. New Beginnings.
So here's to you, dear readers. To new beginnings.
Happy New Year.
5 comments:
Totally did the pot and pan thing. I have a few hand me down pots that have small dings in them ;) Cheers, have fun, and here's to good times in 2011!
Karen
Ok, most of this info in your post is accurate, but if your Dad made you a paper hat to walk around the block, then he made it before they left for the party. Harriet and Bud were never home on New Year's eve. We spent the night with Gram until I was old enough to babysit. It was their "night out," never spent with us kids until we had kids!!
The Madonna
We were always a pots and pans family. I thought it was because we couldn't afford noise makers. It was especially driven home by the fact that each New Year's Day, my mom would go outside with her change purse, hold it up to the sky and ask for money in the new year. Then, she would make a high ball.
Happy New Year Eileen!
Still lovin' your blog!
Hope to see you soon!
Heading to Trader Joe's shortly....!
Onward!
Judi
We banged the heck out of our pots and pans when the clock struck midnight..how funny. ...maybe it's an Italian thing....!!!
Happy New year...hope to see you soon!!!
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