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Homespun: Creating luck, and fun, for New Year’s
Wear polka dots for prosperity in the new year.
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Updated: December 27, 2012 7:27AM
Maybe I’m a party pooper or just a bit boring. I like spending my New Year’s Eves in a quiet and comfortable setting.
I don’t head out to any of the raucous parties downtown or at hotels or bars in the burbs. Usually, I’m with a small group of friends or family and ready to head to bed at 12:01 a.m. I think it’s a great way to ring in the new year.
GOOD LUCK
Everyone hopes for luck in the new year. Since I was a kid, I’ve been observing some specific traditions that can, hopefully, help bring good fortune to the upcoming year. I’m half-Filipino, so some of the customs come from my roots.
If you’re celebrating at home, like me, make sure to open all your doors, including the closets, and turn all the lights on by midnight. You’re inviting in the new year, and good luck, this way.
Did you know circles symbolize prosperity? That’s why I’m usually wearing one piece of clothing with a polka dot pattern on it at midnight. Over the years, I’ve gathered various pieces of clothing that are polka-dot covered. And, because midnight is an hour I rarely see anymore, plenty of them are pajama pants.
But, if you’re heading out to a party and you’re lacking in the circle apparel, try upcycling an old scarf or tie. Buy some fabric paint and a circle foam pouncer and create a polka dot pattern. You can even add some pizazz, plenty of fabric paints come in golds, silvers and shimmery colors.
FESTIVE FOOD
Continuing with the circle trend, my family usually serves a midnight meal and everything is a circle shape.
There are meatballs (usually Swedish), noodles in the shapes of wheels, cookies, tarts, fruits like oranges and grapes and more. Plus there are Filipino delicacies like puto, a steamed cake or muffin that can be different colors, and karioka, a dessert with coconut and a thick caramel glaze.
If you’re looking to do something similar, you can get creative with what you’re serving. On Pinterest, one of the hot trends is individual cakes, pies or cupcakes made in a mason jar. This could also give you a chance to gobble up the last of the circular Christmas cookies you have lying around.
FUN AND GAMES
There’s only so long you can spend watching the countdown coverage. How about a game? Scrabble or Monopoly don’t need to be an option.
If your party has three to six players, check out Ticket to Ride or Dixit. Ticket to Ride is a strategy board game that has players trying to build train routes across various countries, depending on what version you have. Dixit is a card game which has players laying down cards that match up with a phrase or word spoken by a particular player. Then everyone has to find that player’s card. The illustrations on the playing cards are also beautiful.
If your party has more than six players, Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity are fun, interactive card games. Apples to Apples is for the G to PG-rated crowd while Cards Against Humanity (only available on Amazon) is not. It’s a game composed of crude, dirty and outright-wrong humor. Each game has a main person who pulls a question card out of the stack. Everyone else throws down a card that best fits that question card. The main player then selects the winner. It’s pretty subjective since the main player can select the card they find the funniest or the most logical. If you’ve seen the Apples to Apples commercial, it can be something like “Glamorous” to describe “Big Foot.”
However you choose to celebrate, I wish you a happy and safe new year.
