New Year’s Day morning, I woke up on a mission…a mission to start new traditions and carry on some old ones that I grew up with. Kate and I went grocery shopping and came back ready to cook. (Bruce was a little stunned by the whole process because it’s not often that I’m on such a tirade to create a meal). On the menu: Hoppin’ Johns, Collards, Pork Roast and Cornbread. (Bebop clued me in on getting the canned collards and they were quite good frankly) and Kate and I made the HJ’s and cornbread. Bruce threw the roast on the grill and what we created, I must say, was quite a nice little New Year’s Dinner on such short notice…
{notice the “good china”/wedding china}
Kate and I were also at Party City for when the doors allegedly opened on New Year’s (per the website) but they were CLOSED! So we had to make do with wrapping paper ribbon streamers and such.
Just so you know where all of this was coming from, New Year’s Day lunch was a big deal at our house when I was younger. My mom made the traditional feast (there was always a quarter in someone’s hoppin’ johns for good luck, etc.) AND we had a big homemade hat contest. We would spend all morning making our own hats and our dad handed out awards after the lunch. I have such vivid memories of these hat contests. I remember one year Emily was over for it (Em, I’m sure you don’t remember ;)) and I was so proud that my family had such a tradition that she witnessed.
Either way, here’s a pic I dug up from a New Year’s back-in-the-day…
{so here we are, me, parents & 3 bros all sporting our hats pre-lunch. notice the champagne chilling. we always got a taste. (p.s. i gotta say i love the wallpaper in here and really though, i love the window. i didn’t appreciate it at the time. also notice the “good china” in use…and my swatch)}
So we had a little hat making thing of our own…
{sparkling cider…she felt so special}
{kate found the quarter!! again, so special}
{this girl had a ball…a big cornbread fan!}
oh man, LOVE this! we didn’t have any new year’s day traditions growing up so i just might have to steal all of yours! i do love the hat contest. really great. and noticed all about your room that you pointed out — except for the swatch, so that made me laugh. :) great job on the feast. we’ll be amping up our new year’s celebrations next year thanks to the w fam. :)
Love the whole post…the photos…the story…the old photo is a gem!! Hope you are considering this style for your 2011 blog (weaving the old with the new?) Is great!!
love this tradition also. have Been wanting to create some as well, might also have to steal!
Am totally stealing thr hay-making. Se do similar feast except we oddly eat homemade ribs on the good china with the colLards and corn bread but what is hoppin John? Have never heard of this. Aren’t traditions the best but it is a little overwhelming to think sometimes that they are now in our hands and if se don’t do them noone else will.
2 am mama??!!
Yes hoppin johns! Google them! Rice and Blackbeans and I’m sure other stuff but that’s all we did. Then you put a quarter in it and dish it out. Whoever gets the quarter gets good luck.
This is great, Anne. How cool to continue your childhood traditions. When I saw Kate “drinkign” I was immed. thought “scanda:l–until I saw the explanation that it was apple cider! D
i love this post! funny how we didn’t appreciate things when we were growing up but now love looking back and remembering the traditions and want to carry them on :) of course, sounds like you did appreciate this tradition when you were young!
Thanks! Happy ny to you!
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cuteness all over the place…loved that you carried on the tradition…the wallpaper is inspiration:) cool old photo!
haaa. um no recollection. at all.
i swear…did i have a childhood?:)
love this post. so stinkin cute.
this is so incredibly special. i can’t get over the old photo. totally want to make some family traditions of our own now. who needs party city hats–i frankly think yours are so much better, especially with the whole hat-making background you have. :) are those ribbons i see on your chandelier, too? love it. great tradition. great post.
thanks hon. of course you don’t remember ;)
Awww, that was great, love this post about creating traditions. Loved Kate’s sparkling cider, loved the hats, and your meal looked amazing, great job Anne!