Ring out the old, be it carillon; bicycle bell; or whatever. It\’s already time for an old year to depart.

What do you do on New Year\’s Eve? When we kids were old enough, we\’d stay up until midnight. My mother would join us, and we\’d nibble on hard candies and pretzels; and play Monopoly® or Clue®.

Despite their being illegal, a LOT of people would have fireworks. Another subdivision nearby always sounded like a fort under fire; and the air was full of the reek of gunpowder smoke. Phew!

We\’d set aside time to tune in to the Boston Pops New Year\’s Eve concert; conducted back then by Arthur Fiedler. One number was Twelfth Street Rag. We kids got a big kick out of that one. New Yorkers might head for Times Square for the midnight ball-drop.

New Year\’s Eve Abroad

Germany. Lead pouring? I don\’t care to inhale lead fumes; and I think I\’d substitute wax! The lucky mushrooms are kind of cute. All those foods look so good; and I, for one, want to try a lot of them! Starting the New Year with racket reminds me of an old German custom called Polterabend.

France. Apparently New Year\’s Eve is noisy in other countries, too. Galette des Rois sounds delicious, thanks to my sweet tooth. I love those blue lights shining from the capstone of the Arch of Triumph.

England. That\’s interesting about the shifting date of New Year\’s Day. I\’ve always lived near the Mississippi River; and as the New Year came in, we\’d hear tugboats honking. Train tracks were nearby, too; and any train driver out there would be blasting his locomotive\’s horn.

Spain. Friends and food sounds like a nice combination. Chow down a dozen grapes by the time the clock can strike twelve times? As midnight arrives,  I\’ll have eaten too much other food to be able to try doing that. Start with your right foot? Always a good idea. When I begin a bicycle ride, I start with my right foot.

Wherever you are; however you ring out the old; stay safe, enjoy yourself, and remember Auld Lang Syne.