MORE IS BETTER??

I think one of the reasons that Christmas and New Years décor are some of my favorite things is that I am sadly a junk crammed everywhere “more is better” kind of gal.  During Christmas and during the New Year’s celebration, I feel like people are much more accepting of the junk excess stuff in our home.  After getting wound up with the Christmas decorations, there is no hope for me by the time New Year’s Eve rolls around. I joyfully abandon any pretense of trying to cut back on the excess (I know you don’t believe it, but I do TRY to cut back on the excess) and start the new year with a cluttered mess. Then I call that “cluttered mess” New Year décor!

Some of you may remember that I remove the Christmas ornaments from my trees and my grandchildren and I THROW stuff on the trees for New Year’s décor. 
I’ve always driven myself crazy running around getting all of the Christmas decorations back into the holiday closet before midnight on New Year’s Eve.  I have never left any Christmas décor up after midnight on New year’s Eve (of course, I always find a Christmas decoration or two that I had forgotten about weeks after New Years!)  I grew up being told that it was bad luck to leave them up after New Year’s Eve, but I really wasn’t superstitious about it – I just needed a deadline, or the Christmas décor might be up until Spring.  This year, I am NOT going to even pretend that my goal is to have them all down by New Year’s Eve. My goal has been extended to Valentines Day!!  You are looking at the only place in my house where I have removed the Christmas décor (I know, I really haven’t removed much-I’ve just added to what was already there)!



Having told you that I am not superstitious, I’m going to admit that on New Year’s Day, I will be cooking and eating cabbage and black-eyed peas cooked with sterilized dimes.  (The peas are supposed to be cooked with one dime in them. The person who gets the dime is supposed to have the best luck in the new year.  When you have grandchildren, you put a lot of dimes in the peas, so that everyone can feel like they will have good luck in the new year, and you won’t be left with a grandchild who is upset about their prediction of a bad upcoming year – at least that’s what this grandmother does.)  I’ve eaten those vegetables every New Year’s Day that I can remember.  Superstition dictates that these foods on New Year’s Day will bring you luck in the new year.  I’m cooking these foods, because it has become our tradition (AND just in case there is some truth to the superstition.)   
Thank you for visiting my blog.  This REALLY IS more junk than I usually have in my house.  (Okay, I may have more junk in my house, but this is more junk than I usually show on my blog!)  The Favorite Things links are shown below.  I hope you’ll click on each of them to see other blogger’s favorites.
I’m linking to Vignette Friday at Color Outside the Lines and Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper.