Stacking the deck
The last couple of weeks have involved a fair bit of cleaning house; for the next 24 hours, the first day of the new year, there is to be none. Although I expect I will still put things in the dishwasher, and fold my laundry that's in the dryer... and my room is still unspeakable. But that is okay; this one is Roomie's tradition. So is soba for the first meal of the year - which we had at midnight, because the tiny quiches were not going to come out of the oven until after midnight either, and it would be sad to not get to eat the quiches yet. So we began the year slurping noodles and giggling about it, which is not a bad start.
The presence of tiny quiches makes it a party. It was a very exclusive party this year - me and roomie and the cat. Leading up to midnight we did such celebratory activities as 'clean out the fridge' and 'mop the kitchen floor' and 'work on workthings some (but less than I ought)'.
There was also sparkling cider, of course, out of fancy glasses; and later (once it is properly daytime) there will be black-eyed peas, because that one is food-tradition from my family.
Last year we did not do any of these things, and the last year was rather awful, and that is quite enough of that. Not that ritual alone is going to fix things, but no harm in starting things off right... Maybe this year will be better.
The presence of tiny quiches makes it a party. It was a very exclusive party this year - me and roomie and the cat. Leading up to midnight we did such celebratory activities as 'clean out the fridge' and 'mop the kitchen floor' and 'work on workthings some (but less than I ought)'.
There was also sparkling cider, of course, out of fancy glasses; and later (once it is properly daytime) there will be black-eyed peas, because that one is food-tradition from my family.
Last year we did not do any of these things, and the last year was rather awful, and that is quite enough of that. Not that ritual alone is going to fix things, but no harm in starting things off right... Maybe this year will be better.