When I lived back home, it was very common to order Chinese take out on New Year's Eve, and most of the Chinese restaurants stayed open well past their normal time, and added extra workers that night, because they did a ton of business. There aren't many places down here that deliver, so I used to go get take out, but these days, I typically cook the meal myself. This year I'm thinking about making shrimp fried rice, and if I'm feeling better by then, I might make crab rangoon, as well. The crab rangoon itself is pretty easy, but the won ton wrappers take a bit of time and effort, so I might have to put that off, but I will eventually make them. I used to stay up until midnight for the countdown, but that might not happen this year. I will try to catch some fireworks, though, probably on the television, although some people a few streets over usually do some high grade ones that are pretty. Do you have any special traditions for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day?
I always have Black-Eyed Peas and Ham chunks, along with Corn Bread. Finish it off with a 'MoonPie'....Southern Good Luck food!
I shall be tucked up in me bed visiting Dreamland Been a few years since we stayed up till gone midnight, older folks here do though
We usually go to bed well before the new year is officially declared at midnight; but are often awakened by the neighbors shooting of firecrackers or firing off their guns to celebrate. This area is one of the places that the police usually set up the traffic stops to check for drunk drivers, too. I think that the black-eyed peas and ham, along with "greens" of course, is traditional here as well; but we do not do that either. If there are parades on the television, Bobby like to watch those; but otherwise it is usually a pretty quiet day for us. Even the fitness center is closed, so no swimming for me that day either. I used to listen to the Top Fifty music countdown; but there is not much on that to interest me anymore either.
The first day of the New Year we always have ham, black-eyed peas, and some kind of cabbage dish. For the first day of 2016 the meal I cooked in the picture below was crock pot ham, cabbage roll casserole, black-eyed peas...and my honey asked me to do his favorite stuffed mushrooms too. It's been a New Year's Day tradition handed down in my family since I was born and eating pork, black-eyed peas, and cabbage on the first day of the New Year is supposed to bring health, wealth, and good luck throughout the New Year. Some people say corn bread is included in this tradition...but it has never been part of our Family's tradition. And although I made cabbage role casserole...what we usually make is cole slaw. Now as to whether this really works or not, I have no idea....but I've always followed this tradition and I always will. There are always fireworks going off all around us on New Year's Eve and my Honey set off some for us quite often too. But for the past few years we have stopped doing this and just let the others around us take care of the firework displays. Honestly, most years since I am a day person I am sleeping long before the New Year begins but my Honey being a night person is usually up to welcome the New Year in. Sometimes I will tell him to wake me up so we can see the New Year in together, and sometimes the fireworks will wake me to do this. This New Year's Eve we will be helping our daughter and her husband move their things back into their home that was flooded. So we all make be unpacking and putting things in place when the New Year begins. I think I will bring a bottle of champagne so we can all toast to a much better year ahead of us...then the one we are leaving behind.
We rarely stay up for the ''bells' at midnight...but like you @Yvonne Smith we're usually woken by the firework parties in the neighbourhood.. We don't have anything special to eat these days...but in Scotland where I was born and raised new year (Hogmany) is a huge deal...much more so than Christmas. People including children will have a nap in the early evening then get up and get dressed to go out and party around 10pm through until around breakfast time..adults and children alike. House parties are a big thing where all the families get together..lots of games..and a lot of singing . They also eat special foods like 'black bun' which is a real rich fruit cake on the stroke of midnight with a tot of whiskey or sherry and everyone holds hands and sing Auld Lang Syne ...and it's all followed by lots of alcohol..(not for the kids).. We kids used to bob for apples in a basin of cold water, and eat pancakes with black treacle as well. There's also a tradition called 'first footing', which means that the first person over your doorstep into your home after the stroke of midnight must be a dark haired male, he should bring with him symbolic pieces of coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and a wee dram of whisky. The dark male bit is believed to be a throwback to the Viking days, when a big blonde stranger arriving on your door step with a big axe meant big trouble, and bad luck New Year! If you weren't expecting visitors at Hogmany, it was a tradition as we did sometimes if we weren't visiting family, to hoist a son or father out of a window at 5 minutes to midnight so he would be the first to cross over the threshold as the clock struck 12..to thwart any bad luck in case the first visitor to the house on New years day was a women. Those traditions still continue to this day in Scotland and Ireland ..but not here in England..
Our traditional New Years day meal is hog jowl, peas. greens and cornbread. I have everything in the refrigerator waiting to be cooked.
We don't go anywhere for New Year's Eve. When I was single (divorced) I did some years. If we still lived in So. California, and had the money, we would go on the Queen Mary in Long Beach for their New Year's Eve Party and stay at the hotel onboard. This party is specifically for Baby Boomers and older and hosts a live orchestra with plenty of food and drink. A pretty lavish/memorable event. But, since we've been married, just sit at home and watch some fireworks on tv and "try" to stay up to see the New Year in. Most of the time, that doesn't work. Last couple of years we've had a crockpot of black-eyed peas and ham on New Year's Day. This year we will have some more of our leftover frozen turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing mix and cranberry sauce. If the weather is good enough, which is predicted, we will head over to our boat and run it. New Year's morning is always watching the Rose Parade. Just don't miss that!
I ended up staying home, as expected. I didn't need to go out to see fireworks, because there were plenty here in the neighborhood, straight up until 3 or 4 a.m. The official local fireworks were postponed due to heavy rain, and I was happy about the rain, because it meant everything here was damp, so less chance of a fire from the fireworks. We played firework or gunshot here in the 'hood on the Facebook group. Many weren't happy, because the pets were agitated. They don't just shoot off little fireworks here, apparently they also set off mortars. I rented a movie to watch, but slept through it, because I'm still sick. I've been doing a lot of napping/sleeping since then, too. Hopefully this thing is breaking. I picked up a bottle of whiskey for the hot toddies, but have only used a splash so far. It sounds as if everyone had a nice quiet evening. Those traditions sound like a lot of fun @Holly Saunders!