before things went absolutely bonkers beneath a cloud of powdered sugar and flour at the bakery right before Christmas, there was a brief lull, during which my coworkers and I talked about our new Year’s Eve traditions — ya know, things our families do to ring in the new Year.

One tradition that seems to be shared by many families is that of cleaning the house to make it spic and span (or as close to it as possible) before January 1.

विज्ञापन

Now…I used to do this religiously every December 31. I’d get the floors so clean you could eat off them, but I let that one go a few years ago (around the time Connor Claire arrived)… I’m thinking about doing as much as I can today, though. I want to maximize my luck as we start a new decade. (Side note: When you have a small child, you live in a state of high-functioning exhaustion, always.)

Anyway, I’m going to do as much as I can before the new year starts.

One thing I like to do — which I carried over from my parents — happens right at the stroke of midnight, when we jump up and down and shout “Happy new Year!” repeatedly. then we open the front door to welcome all of the good luck into our house and our lives. and you do this while holding your cat, of course, so she doesn’t escape into the night!

विज्ञापन

बिरालाहरू र मेकअप स्वेटशर्ट ??

$ 42

शप अब

At my parents’ house, my mom also does these things, which I don’t know if they’re exclusive to her family or if they’re more of a Filipino thing, but she’ll put 13 coins underneath the welcome mat at the front door for good luck.

They’re usually pennies…but I don’t know if they specifically have to be pennies, or if you can mix and match your change, because my mom is a self-proclaimed cheapskate, and she’s not about to be putting silver dollars or quarters under the mat, LOL! So, yeah, she puts 13 pennies under the mat and leaves them there all year long, then replaces them with fresh coins every new Year’s Eve.

And she’ll also hang a bunch of grapes (13 to be exact!) in the middle of the front door jamb, where they’ll hang all year long. Again, she does this for good luck.

My coworker, who’s also Filipino, said that her family, in addition to opening up the front door and doing the thing with the grapes, would bang pots and pans to scare any evil sprits away at midnight. They’d also throw coins up the staircase (not sure why).

Oh, and food! growing up, my mom would make this savory rice soup called arroz caldo. It wasn’t my favorite thing to eat because my mom always made it extra gingery, and I reeeeally don’t like ginger (I only like it in sweet baked goods), so I’d sit there and suffer through a few bites while everybody else devoured it.

विज्ञापन

अनि तपाईं? What are your new Year’s Eve traditions?

तपाईंको मैत्रीपूर्ण छिमेकी सौन्दर्य लत,

करेन