Your End of Year Rituals

[QueenofAllThings]

Every year at this time, I do the following -

1. Purge the medicine cabinet of the yucky and expired;
2. Shred excess/useless financial data;
3. Desperately try to coordinate calendars with the King; and
4. Attempt, once again, a budget.

What do you do?

[oceanus]

Over the next few days I'll do a lot of shredding.

Purging of medicine cabinet is a good idea, OP.  I need to do that and replace aspirin, cold medications, etc.

[Winterlight]

Relax. I am trying not to get into a New Year "must lose 10 pounds/clean all closets/bring about world peace" frenzy.

[Judah]

I spend the last week of the year cleaning out and re-organizing all the drawers, cupboards, and closets in the house. I like starting the new year fresh and clean.

[Piratelvr1121]

New Year's Eve brings about reminiscing about the day we bought our house, as this year marks 3 years since we moved here and I always like to celebrate at home to enjoy our own house. 

Sometimes we have people over, sometimes we don't.  But we watch Dick Clark's Times Square countdown show. Not the whole thing, we usually tune in just before the countdown and let the kids stay up as long as they can manage. To date none of them have made it.  We usually watch a movie until we get to about a minute or two close to midnight. 

[Vall]

I've celebrated December 31st the same way for years.  When I got married, DH liked my tradition he joined in.  In our home, December 31st is Favorite Foods Day.  Only foods that are considered our very favorites are allowed to be consumed.  It doesn't matter if they make a meal or not.  Half of the fun is in deciding what is really a favorite, shopping for it and the anticipation of enjoying it.  Anything can be on the menu.  Crab, Godiva chocolates, asiago bread, black jelly beans, Filet mignon, macadamia nuts, etc.  We don't normally drink alcohol so there isn't a problem with that mixture.

We watch the movie When Harry Met Sally and time it so the ending is within a half hour of midnight (in the movie, the final scene is at midnight).  We were friends before dating and we're still best friends so the movie fits us.  Then a kiss at midnight, a toast, and maybe a short dance together.

New Years Day is some type of pork and sauerkraut for good luck and we tease each other that whatever we do on the first we will be doing all year long.

[MerryCat]

Mr MerryCat's family does first footing. Basically, the first person to enter your house after midnight on new year's eve should be a tall dark (and optionally handsome) person carrying coal, bread, salt and drink. When DH and I first moved in together his mother thoughtfully gave us a carefully wrapped piece of coal so that we could continue the tradition in our new home.

[Piratelvr1121]

That's a Celtic tradition, is it not?

[CrochetFanatic]

We usually watch one of the DVD's that we got for Christmas after we agree on one.  By the time the movie is over, it's usually an hour or so until midnight, so we channel-surf and chat until it's time to watch the countdown.

Also...snacks!    We usually have shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers, and various finger foods.  We don't usually go anywhere on New Year's Eve because of the higher number of drunk drivers, and it's more relaxing at home.

[MerryCat]

That's a Celtic tradition, is it not?

MIL, who comes from near Scotland(she's Geordie), says it's a Scottish tradition. So I guess that makes it a Celtic tradition?

[guihong]

I like to clean the house (starting the year right ), then settle down with Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve.  I haven't heard if it's on this year or not .

[Maggie]

Ryan Seacrest is doing it but it's still called Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve.

[NyaChan]

LOTR movie marathon for me Going to add a new tradition of special honey-caramel popcorn with pecans, yum!

[AmethystAnne]

I make sure that there are no dirty dishes in the house.

I lay out what I'll need to work on the next day for my completed-that-day craft project. It's usually a small crocheted doily. My great grandmother's project was a new bonnet. Her DD(my grandmother) made an apron. Her DD (my mother) sews something. Her DD's(my sister and I) do something crocheted. I need to tell my DD's about the tradition.

[HoneyBee42]

I'm a movie marathoner.  We time it to end a little before midnight, then get the sparkling grape juice ready (me and the kids).