So … do you have a family tradition for New Years Eve?
I don’t. Though I love the idea. I get up early so I do not stay up late but I like the idea of the New Year being celebrated. The freshness of it. The promise. And we all need a new start – right? Another chance.
At home in New Zealand – it is beach time – New Years is a summer celebration and for the life of me I cannot remember my parents celebrating it at all. But I love the new-ness of a New Year. The forgiveness. The pass. The Great Cosmos smiling through a dusty sunbeam and saying – you are OK, you did your best, now let me see you do better. Do you want to do better? If you want to do better – I am with you.
In New Zealand we begin the new school year in February. So it is ALL new. Exercise books, teachers, Life. So I want to have a spring clean at the end of December. 
Move those cobwebs along. But here on the prairies of Illinois it is a spring clean in winter. A New Year makes me want to clean out all the old, the detritus, the faded and superfluous. I want to open all the windows and flush out all the old smells. Which is a little uncomfortable when we have only climbed to just above freezing by the end of the day. But I do it anyway. Bring on that winter air!
Or you will get this! By morning this condensation will be frozen solid. On the inside!
Elsie is wondering whether she has to be on a diet too. Maybe I can palm her a flake or two of good hay when Queenie is not watching? But Queenie, like all good bullies, is always watching.
I made two batches of soap yesterday. One is the Ugly Soap with ground coffee, lemongrass oil (from the farm) and steel cut oats – for my daughter. The other made with Rose Essence for me. All my soaps are three parts meadow raised lard – one part olive oil.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Tell me a little of your New Years traditions if you have time. I love traditions. I want one.
your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
91 responses to “New Years Eve”
Bill and I don’t do much for New Year’s. Watch a good movie or two and then to bed. We don’t usually make it to midnight tho. I have been feeling the organize, shed old stuff urge tho of late. It is quite windy and chilly outside this morning. A good day for cups of hot tea and lap warming cats. Happy New Year to the Fellowship!
How interesting that school starts in Feb. in NZ. With the seasons being opposite, it makes sense, but I had never really thought about it. I learned something new today. 🙂 I am looking forward to a new year tho, very much so.
YUP.. we are in the middle of the summer holidays in NZ. The kids will be off school for another month yet! They get 6 weeks for their summer break. c
A quiet night for us this year. One golden has just had a big tooth removed and is feeling very sorry for herself. Although not as sorry as we are when it comes to giving her the pain killing and antibiotic tablets. A happy and safe 2015 to everyone. Joy
Poor Golden.. she will be feeling miserable.. c
I always did my best as a kid to stay up until midnight and most often failed. When I was a young adult, I stayed up no problem. But not anymore, seeing as how my eyes pop open at 5:15 or 5:30 like clockwork. We’re having friends over tonight and I’ve already warned them we’ll be toasting the new year at eastern or central time (9 or 10) here. Happy New Year to all!
It is a good thing for a writer to wake early! have a lovely evening Charlotte.. c
No food traditions, but a craft one I started several years ago after completing and giving away many counted cross stitch projects as gifts. New Years Eve is the day I start a counted cross stitch project for myself. This year’s choice, when finished, will be a clock — the design includes farm animals and children. What more could you ask for? Tonight will include church and supper with friends and tomorrow will see packing up the decorations for another year. Can’t burn the calendar as it has your gorgeous pictures (and goes until April). Happy New Year Celi!
Oh NO.. No burning that calendar! You must be on the last day of Kupa.. I don’t even have one of those calenders, I sold them all.. but I can look at the one in the grocery store whenever i go in there.. c
How appropriate — the last day of Kupa! I like that! I’ll just rename all the months to the animal involved!
Fireworks are the tradition here, although not ours. One of my dogs thinks the world is coming to an end with each blast.
Black-eyed peas had to be eaten on New Years day when I was a child in Missouri. I love them, but my hubby doesn’t care for them one bit. His NY’s celebration consists of nachos, piled high with every sort of traditional topping known to man. Since having children, we realize the importance of sleep. We go to bed well before midnight approaches.
So, to sum up—we have no tradition. 🙂
There is a tradition about colouured knickers in news day, red for love and green for something else and yellow.. who knows, but I need to investigate!.. c
In the process of making new traditions now to go with a refreshed life and a soon-to-be new husband. We drink my favorite champagne, have bacon – wrapped shrimp, and play pool. I believe tonight I will add the grapes to the game plan as I enticed him with the idea of feeding him peeled grapes when I was fanning him with a palm frond during our recent Cayman Islands sabbatical. Being a true, though displaced, Southerner, I tried the black-eyed peas for good luck tradition one year, and lost my job, and my dog and my cat died, and so I have sworn off that tradition for life. Do have a peaceful New Year’s Eve, miss c. It was a frigid -14 here last night but we’re hoping for 24 today. Practically balmy!
We are pretty cold too, in fact the fire is not keeping up and I am shivering here at the table, i need to get busy – How ON EARTH does one peel a grape? c
I used to do it all the time when I was little to amuse myself! I think it was something I learned from my mother.
No traditions here, though my family used to make a luscious loaf of bread (several loaves, actually) for New Year’s Day. If you found the silver dollar, luck would follow you. Not my favorite holiday at all, but, look forward to 2015. Happy New Year to you and all there on the farmy. 🙂
Bread with a silver dollar.. that sounds like a good tradition.. It feels like I only got used to writing 2014!.. and now we are at 2015.. have a good one!.. c
I enjoy hearing about all the traditions, it makes me feel like starting one myself. I would also like to echo Dirtartful and learn more about your soap recipe.
I will think on it and make a simple one next time.. it really is not hard.. c
I love to pull out my new calendars on New Year’s Day and transfer over important birthdays & anniversaries from the old calendar. It makes for an interesting review of the last year, looking at the old calendar. I’m often surprised at what happened during the past 12 months. “OH, that was just this past year that they got married?” “That was only a few months ago that we celebrated that special birthday?” etc. I really enjoy the fresh, crispness of the new calendar … holding a year of possibilities.
That is an excellent tradition, maybe I will do that.. though as usual i forgot to keep a calendar for myself!.. isn’t time funny how it stretches and pings!.. have a great day marla.. c
A glass of bubbly at midnight watching the ball drop in Times Square. I’m making tomorrow’s Hoppin’ John – black eyed peas, collard greens, salt pork, red pepper flakes, a dash or two of vinegar. They will bring good luck. New Year’s Day is my sister-in-law’s birthday. Some years she is here & then we are more festive with Tres Leches Cake & zabaglione (her favorites). But not this year. So skip the dessert. (New Year’s resolution, soon to fall by the wayside.) Too cold out for me to think of opening windows! Bright sunshine just streaming in says “wash me soon!” Happy New Year from North Carolina to all at the Farmy & in this lovely worldwide circle.
Today will be a fun day, just Jack, me and the animals. We’ll let all the porch animals in to celebrate, and we’ll have yummy food that Jack makes, with broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, lettuce and radishes all coming from our garden. We are so excited to be living off our garden in the middle of the winter. All rows have row covers and the veggies are doing great! The happiest, happiest of New Years to you and Our John dear Celi!!!! xoxoxo
We drink champagne. Fall asleep much too early. Then sort of wake up again when we hear the fireworks and kiss each other over another sleepy champagne. In honor of our Cuban friend, we throw a bucket of water out of the upstairs window. This is too get rid of the evil accumulated spirits. Or to make us rich. I can never remember which! On New Year’s day we do the Italian thing and eat Cotechino or Zampone and lentils. The lentils, like black-eyed peas in the US are go bring you good luck and fortune. The Cotechino is just to make you fat, as far as I can see. It’s good, but thank heavens you only eat it once a year. Mostly, I just let the old trash go. Clean out my personal larder. And head into the new year with a lighter load. I love it.
Ron and I get our favorite splurge food, I like caviar on pumpernickel with a nice Havarti cheese and Ron eats pizza. We get a nice bottle of Champagne and watch the New York celebration on t.v. The ball drops at 10:00 p.m. our time, so were in bed by 10:05. It’s really fun. Happy New Year to you Miss C and the farmy family.
Robin🐥
It is impossible for me to throw away never mind actually burn a calendar. The pictures are so lovely. I especially could NEVER throw away your calendar. Which reminds me I never got this year’s. I thought I ordered it but maybe not. Is it too late?
Another one, there are quite a few that have not been delivered and i sent them all first class.. could you send me a quick email with all your details again, though i know I have them somewhere and I will order one to be delivered straight to you.. WHAT is going on with the mail? sorry about that.. c
Kielbasa and sauerkraut – and hot dogs for the kids. I do like the grapes and champagne idea, will add that to the midnight festivities – go outside and bang pots and pans in the cold! Happy New Year!