Old Lang Syne
Thanksgiving Day is a hard act to follow, isn’t it? What a brilliant culinary expression we’re blessed with. Usually by about now, however, the dust has settled, the leftovers are fertilizing a tree somewhere and all the love and effort that went into the glorious feast is but a faint memory to nearly everyone but you and your personal trainer. But not to worry! Looming just around the corner is yet one last chance to claim caloric bliss…the year’s crescendo…the mother of all Holidays…I’m talking about the one and only, the universally-celebrated New Year’s Eve!
“New Year’s Eve?” you ask. “But what about Christmas, Hanukkah Kwanzaa or even Boxing Day?! Surely you agree these celebrations far outweigh an evening of decorated dunce hats and drunken midnight smooches! You dropped the Times Square Ball on this one, Heidi.”
Allow me a moment to clarify. Yes, these dates of Gift Exchange absolutely are monumental merriments. People all across the world have embraced the spirit of giving with countless historically based reasons to do so, thus creating this one large joyous slice of the year we now call “the Holiday Season.” What each individual family is celebrating, however, is specific to their lifestyle, and is done so with such vast uniqueness, it would be impossible to talk food to everyone.
Christmas, for example, is a holy expression between a man and his Maker. It is the remembrance of the day that Christ Jesus, God’s son, was born to this world as a man, an honored day in my home. Kwanzaa, meaning “first fruits” in Swahili, was founded in 1966 by an African-American named Ron Karenga and observes seven days of celebration, each dedicated to a different “Principal” celebrating black heritage and ancestry. The Jewish season of Hanukkah or “Festival of Lights” commemorates the eight-day jubilation of the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem, where one day’s worth of oil miraculously burned all eight days.
Now, I could offer you traditional tips and recipes like Cider-Glazed Christmas Goose with Cumberland Sauce or my old college roommate’s tried-and-true Latkes. I might possibly even throw caution to the Santa Anas with a Tanzanian fruit salad, but why attempt to re-invent your wheel?
And THIS is exactly where the Annual Grand Finale comes to play. With everyone’s halls decked a different color, the only day I’m almost certain we can all agree on this December is the day that 2007 becomes 2008. It’s the last sentence in your 12-month story that demands far more respect than the customary hat and kiss. In fact, it completely merits catered Hors d-Oeuvres, Champagne, shimmery new dresses and more! The great common denominator across the globe is new hope and fresh aspirations for a better tomorrow. So as the old Scottish hymn suggests, ring in the New Year reminiscing the good memories of family and friends, but as tradition suggests, clutch your list of resolutions and savor the magic of this season with style, panache, and lots of French Bubbly.
