new year's eve chez baby

For a few years during college and at the beginning of grad school, I wandered out of my parents' home to New Year's Eve parties: I invariably got buzzed, was on the phone with my mom at midnight wishing her a feliz año nuevo, and then hooked up with (different) friends of friends. I felt pretty lame doing anything other than going out into the night looking for the party of my life, but after 3 or so years, I realized that I felt pretty lame going out into the night looking for the party of my life. So, now I stay home and cram every single Latin American superstition, ahem tradition, into my new year's eve. It is a very elaborate procedure, so you'd best believe I need all of the 30th to get my business together.

If you don't have elaborate new year's plans, let me recommend the Peruvian superstition train:

Early Preparations:
1) Procure yellow underwear.
Yellow is the overall "good luck for the upcoming year" color. Red for love and green for money, but rarely do people want to limit their options that way.

2) Buy lots of grapes.
Red or green, it really doesn't matter--either will cost the earth round these parts--these parts being North America. Seedless is probably best as you'll need to pop them in public at a rapid clip at midnight.

3) Buy lots of food for a lovely spread + champagne/some bubbly liquid.
This year I'm making pot roast in the dutch oven I got for my birthday. And we always have Humboldt Fog cheese with toasts as a pre-dinner treat.

4) Find a pail or bucket or large pot that you will not need for cooking.

5) Write your list of resolutions: you need 10 to make un decalogo--the list of resolutions. They can be anything, things you want to do, things that you want to make happen, things that you hope happen without any interference on your part, whatever. You might want to write them down in two places, one you can refer to throughout the year and one on a small index card to burn at midnight.

6) Put some suitcases or duffel bags in an accessible place near the front door.

The Night Of:
1) Put on your yellow (or red or green, whatever your priorities) panties!
(or boxies for the mens)
I know some people who wear them inside out for extra luck, but that, for my money, is optional.

2) Have a really nice dinner but make sure it's timed so that dinner winds up around 11, so you have time to get ready for the midnight activities without feeling rushed.

3) Fill the bucket with water and place it near a window or door; wash and put out the grapes in the bowl; get out the bubbly; bring out your decalogo and get some matches and a ceramic/fireproof bowl;

At Midnight:
1) Right at midnight, toast and kiss people around you and take a swig of bubbly--quickly.

2) For every stroke of midnight, eat a grape, making a wish with each grape (12 in all). You may have to gobble a few to catch up what with the toasting and kissing and whatnot.

3) Then burn up your decalogo while thinking intently of what you've written.
Mom says you don't have to burn them, but i think it makes it more dramatic.

4) Go to wherever your bucket o water is located and throw it out of whatever--the door, the window. This throws the bad spirits of the old year out of your house and out of your life.

5) Go get your easily accessible (empty) suitcase and walk around the block with it.
This is to ensure that you will travel in the upcoming year. I should add to the preparatory activities that you may have to cajole your loved one into this activity. After much wheedling last year, I was able to convince Michael to go with me sporting a small backpack--not the same.

Happy 2008, y'all!