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Auld Lang Syne

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Good morning everyone. We hope all of you are enjoying a good start to the new year. We arrived home Sunday after the grand(mother) Christmas road trip. We are enjoying the fruits of yesterday's wonderful 10" snow fall and bracing for yet another snow storm slated to start this afternoon. We have had more snow in the last month than all of last winter. It is just beautiful outside. Santa dropped some new snow shoes and skis under the tree for the kids out of which they are getting some serious mileage.

We have been hearing from many of you these past few weeks. We love the many holiday cards we have received and hope our fall newsletter and holiday calendars are arriving at your home through the holiday mail rush. If you have not received a calendar or newsletter please let us know and we will get one out to you in the next pony express.

We hope that through the holidays you have been surrounded by the warmth of friends and family. I know that is not always easy to feel amidst all the gift giving and traveling and holiday chaos. Hearing from so many of you has given us much warmth and reminded us of happy times sailing on the bay. Many of you have heard me sing Auld Lang Syne and that song is obviously close to my lips this time of year. Funny, in the summer I am thinking of friends ashore and this time of year I dream about all of you. While Burns wrote this song reminiscing of friendships past this song also gives me cause to dream of the friendships to come. I won't dwell on the friends who have passed on during the last year but that sadness does motivate me to re-connect with a few friends I haven't touched base with for a while. That is the holiday spirit that enriches our lives throughout the year. So don't be alarmed if I am singing Christmas carols on the quarterdeck this summer.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.
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Unknown said…
Here in the South it is the custom to eat black eyed peas and ham on New Year's Day to bring luck for the coming year. So, I fixed black eyed peas with ham hocks, and turnip greens (also with ham hocks). Sarah thinks that meal is not complete without some pork chops and corn bread. Altogether we had a great good luck meal to usher in the new year.

Is there a similar custom in New England? I don't remember anything special being eaten on New Year's when I was a kid growing up in New Jersey. How about the other blog readers out there? Are there any customs for good luck in the new year where you live? Or have you heard of interesting customs elsewhere in the world? Leave a comment especially if it's a seafaring custom.
January 1, 2008 at 9:47 PM
Michele B said…
I love your idea of singing Christmas carols during the summer. Since we don't get a chance to celebrate the holidays together, I think we should have a Christmas-In-The-Summer singalong this year, during the weekly lobster-fest picnic. How about it, guys? It could be loads of fun!
January 2, 2008 at 10:37 AM
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