New Year's Traditions

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, SC

I have always liked New Year’s Eve. My mother's family was Scottish and made a bigger deal of it than Christmas. After my divorce I was so determined not to be sitting at home alone on New Year's Eve that I volunteered for the then active Charleston First Night Festival and the next year found myself on the board and Volunteer Coordinator for the event. I'd recruit hundreds of volunteers to staff the events all over town and spent the evening going from belly dancing to gospel singing checking on all the venues. By midnight I'd be freezing, exhausted and happy. Now I am completely content to socialize earlier and be safely home at the stroke of midnight.

Forget Hoppin’ John, I like the Scottish tradition of the First Footer bringing good luck.

Snopes.com New Year’s Beliefs
The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you’re about to have. Ideally, he should be dark haired, tall and good looking,(well, yes!) and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household. Aim a gun at them if you have to, but don’t let them near your door before a man crosses the threshold. ......First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in the middle.

Now, how do I pull this off? A sign on the street? Heheh. Another site allows that whiskey would also be a welcome gift.