New Year’s Eve has never been a big holiday in my family. Most of the day was spent cleaning and preparing for New Year’s Day which was much more important. We always had a sparkling clean house and a feast on New Year’s, honoring a folk tradition that what you experience on New Year’s Day is the harbinger of the coming year. Well, one thing you would not want on New Year’s Day is a hangover! We didn’t make resolutions either. This was probably more the influence of my mother more than any tradition. She always said that if you plan to do something, just do it. If it’s important enough to do, it’s too important to delay until the new year. What we did do, though, is look back at the year and appreciate our good fortune.
Those traditions continue. I have been cleaning today. I am having a New Year’s dinner party tomorrow. And I have been looking back at 2012 and appreciating my good fortune.