Week Forty-Three: The New Year

It's hard to believe that it's time to ring out the old and cheer in the new. It's also time to write about your New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and New Year's Resolution memories!

*Do you remember the first time you were allowed to stay up and see in the New Year? How old were you?

*How did you and your typically spend New Year's Eve during your youth? Did you go to a Watch Night Service and participate in communion and prayer? Did you watch the ball drop in Times Square on television? Did your community have a fireworks show?

*Did you have first-footers, mummers, or bang pots and pans on your front porch? Did you wear party hats and use noisemakers?

*If New Year's Eve involved feasting of some kind, what were the usual fare and beverages?

*How do all of the above compare to the way you celebrate New Year's Eve now?

*What about New Year's Resolutions? Did you make any when you were younger? Do you make them now? How well do you keep them? Was there any year when you really did a fabulous job at keeping them? What were your goals and how did you keep them?

*How did you typically spend New Year's Day in your childhood and youth? Did you visit family and friends? Did your family host an Open House? Did you watch the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game or another favorite sport? Or did you go to your favorite ski resort?

*How does it compare to the way you spend New Year's Day now?

*Are there any special customs from your heritage that are integrated into your New Year's celebrations?

*If you celebrate Christmas or another seasonal holiday before the New Year, when do you take down the decorations and put them away?

Week Twenty-Six: Winter

Here in Spokane, Washington, we've received about four inches of snow overnight. We've had more snow this season since the winter of 1969. It's got me thinking about the season...the things we like and dislike, and how we've endured or enjoyed it over the years. Here are some prompts to help you write about the winters in your life:

* What has been your attitude toward winter? Is it "the weather outside is frightful" or "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"?

*What are or were your favorite outdoor winter activities? Some ideas to jog your memory include sledding, skiing, skating, snowshoeing, snowball fights, or making snowmen. Where did you go to do these activities? Did you ever have an accident participating in any of the more active sports?

*What are or were your favorite indoor winter activities? Did you play board games or cards, listen to the radio or watch TV, do puzzles or needlework, read books and magazines, or write letters, journals, or stories?

*What do you remember about winter clothing in your childhood? Do you have any stories to tell about long johns, snow suits or snow pants, a favorite or unfavorite pair of boots? Did you wear a pair of mittens with a string connecting them around your neck? Colleen shares a great memory here!

*Did anyone ever make you hats, scarves, mittens or sweaters to wear? Were they knitted or crocheted?

*What were your favorite winter foods or drinks? Some ideas include soups, stews, casseroles, hot chocolate, tea, or hot buttered rum.

*How about the cold? Did you ever get frostbite? Did you ever take a dare and stick your tongue on something metal? Was your bedroom cold at night in the winter? How did you stay warm at night...with an electric blanket, a bedwarming pan, or hot potatoes at the foot of your bed under the covers?

*What big storms or hard winters do you have memories or stories of? (Those who live in Spokane may have their stories of Ice Storm '96.)

*If you live(d) in areas that get little to no snow during the winter, what are or were your winters like? Windy and rainy? Warm or hot? Did you wish for snow, or were you glad you didn't get any? If it did occasionally snow, did the bad weather shut down your community? Do you remember the first time you saw snow? What did you think of it?

*Do you remember stories from your parents, grandparents, or other family members or old timers of big storms or hard winters of the past?

*Do you have any photos of your ancestors outdoors in the winter, or of their homes or automobiles covered with snow? What about photos of ancestors' horses and sleighs?

Decorate your journal with photos of yourself and/or your ancestors enjoying (or enduring) wintertime.