Imagine this thing flying through the air on New Year’s Eve! Be thankful for tamer celebrations in the 21st Century.
My mother always insisted that what one did on New Year’s Day would set the tone for the remainder of the New Year. Many others agree, including me. So I have tried for years to avoid laundry that day but it keeps piling up on January 2.
Since the New Year begins at the stroke of midnight, we should be careful not to set the wrong pattern for the upcoming year; or even worse attract evil spirits or bad luck. So don’t forego the kiss. Even if you retire before the bewitching hour, it’s always midnight somewhere; just pretend you are there and turn in early. It you don’t, you set the stage for a year of coldness.
Be sure bills are paid and cupboards are filled before the stroke of midnight. In fact, I have heard a suggestion that every wallet in the home should be filled to guarantee prosperity. However, that may be difficult if you have just paid off the credit cards for all the Christmas shopping bills. But don’t pay debts or lend money on January first; to do so will guarantee you will pay out all year.
You might want to wear new clothes on January 1 to increase the likelihood of receiving more new garments during the coming year. And for goodness sake, try to avoid breaking anything.
At midnight, open the door or even all the doors in the house to let the old year out. Make as much noise as possible without tempting the neighbor to call the police. Better yet, invite the neighbors over to help you scare away evil spirits. Today we use fireworks, but in early Texas men shot off the anvil. Blacksmiths used an anvil to form horseshoes that fit each horse. They sprinkled gunpowder on the bottom anvil, turn another anvil upside down on top of the bottom anvil and lit the fuse. Bam! The top anvil went flying through the air, hopefully not landing on someone’s head. Pistols were shot in the air for the same reason. I do not recommend either method. Some traditions are best left in the past.
Foods are an essential part of New Year’s celebrations. Here in the south we love our black-eyed peas. I canned some fresh ones last summer just for the occasion. Throw a ham bone or some bacon in for more good luck. Circular foods like cookies symbolize a new cycle, so indulge yourself.
A new tradition I found this year intrigues me. It has to do with work. Yes, work! To ascertain you will have a job and do well at it, you should do something related to your work on the first day of the year. You don’t have to go your place of employment, just do a little something. But, limit your activity to a token amount. Because if you get too serious and complete a project on New Year’s Day you will have an unlucky year ahead.
Now, I have given this some deep thought! While the football games are on television, and they will be, I plan to sneak up to my office to write about a circus that came here in 1857. It is a somewhat humorous story I plan to use in my new Greenville book. I received the go-ahead to write the book from my publisher and think it’s time to start. That is my sole resolution for 2016, to complete as much of my new book as possible. It’s in my head, now it needs to finds its way onto paper. Wish me luck. Happy New Year!