New Year on the Horizon

Winter is officially here.  The snow in the foothills has disappeared again, but we are frosty and foggy in the mornings.  Doesn't encourage me to be the early bird and all the worms are hiding anyway.

Spent a long, lazy Christmas day at my son's home in front of their fire.  The grandkids love sitting there too so I could visit with them.  The tree was lovely, the presents were all appreciated, and there were many leftovers from the night before to nibble on all day.  Got to hold a 5-month baby while she took a nap.  What a delightful thing that is.  Youngest son played and sang at the 11:00PM service Christmas Eve, I am sorry to say I was home and sound asleep by then, wished I could have stayed awake but I am not much of a night owl anymore. 

Soon this year will be gone and I'm planning on literally sweeping the old year out the front door, my family tradition.  Unless I'm asleep. 

I read that in Japan people may dress in new clothing and rise early in the morning to greet the New Year's dawn.  Another tradition is the making of mochi/rice cakes for the family.  They also send New Year's postcards, I like that, Christmas cards escape me each year.  Then I saw that Mexico has a tradition of putting the old year's bad and sad events to paper and burning it before midnight to remove the negative from the new year. I like that too, and a local church has a "burning bowl" ceremony for pretty much the same thing.

How do you celebrate the New Year?