New Year's History

This is it!  Tonight at midnight we all say goodbye to the old year and welcomed in the new. We've been celebrating endings and beginnings since ancient times.

The tradition of a New Years Eve celebration stems from old beliefs and superstitions. Noise making goes back to the ancient custom of using loud noises to drive evil spirits from a house during the times of festive celebration.

Many nationalities and cultures still use noise to celebrate. America has her ratchet rattles and noise makers.

Denmark smashes in the New year.  People go to friends houses and throw bits of broken pottery that they have collected throughout the year at the houses.  They also bang on the doors to make noise.

The Dutch love to celebrate New Years.  It was one of their favorite holidays when they settled New Amsterdam in the mid-17th century. When the English took over the city in 1674 and called it New York, the British custom at the time called for celebrating the New Year on the Vernal Equinox, March 25th.  The Dutch populace so loved the holiday on January 1st they convinced the British to move their New year celebration.

Traditions have to start somewhere. The ball dropping tradition at New York's Times Square began in 1904 when the Times Tower was constructed.  At the time it was the city's 2nd tallest building, rising to a height of 375 feet.

Adolph Ochs, the young publisher of the New York times, moved his paper into the new building on New Year's weekend and decided to celebrate the event with a New Year's eve rooftop fireworks display.

It was spectacular, but it was dangerous.  The following year the fireworks were replaced by the decending brightly-lit ball.

A tradition begun.  Have a Happy!

Expectations

Some thoughts on this coming New Year.

Beginnings always have an expectation. Where do we go from here? What happens next?

In 2010 there is hope these hard times for so many will end with a job and a decent wage for all who seek it.

The first decade of the new millennium is over and we are still searching for a global sanity. There are still over 32 regional wars infecting the planet as we struggle with the belief that security should come from common sense and not fear.

There is always hope in the litany of Pandora troubles that are part of our daily struggle, but let us not forget that hope without action is arrogance. We each have to work at finding harmony in chaos.

It's there, we can feel it when we give from empathy and not reward.

When we resolve not to be discouraged, not to speak in anger, not to blame, and not to judge without the truth of looking within first.

Maybe this is the year that unconditional love and appreciation will guide the hearts and wills of humankind.

Maybe!

Creative Thoughts

There is an old saying that says we attract to us what we fear the most. If that's true, then it is time to let go of our fear and acknowledge that within each of us is an immense creative energy that can fill the empty space where fear was and find a way out of its sadness, despair, and the negative conditions for which we often blame others.

Perhaps it is time we see ourselves as creators.  Not only the creator of things, but also of attitudes and personal conditions.

We often constrict our creative self by placing false limits.  We often inadvertantly deny those in need by believing security is having more or success is stuff.  Sometimes we delude those we say we love by only loving ourselves through them and not honoring their choice and sacred self.

Perhaps it is time to listen to the life force of our hearts, for it lets us hear the trees, the oceans, the plants and animals and even strangers when they speak to us.

That life force is unconditional love, which translates to respect, courtesy and kindness.

It has never been tried on a mass scale.

It seems to me we have nothing to lose.

It's Over

It’s not that the Holiday is over that pleases me, it’s that the Christmas preparation is over. It is an exciting, wonderful, special, and a welcomed time every year, but it also nice when it’s over.

The long preparations now become “put-a-ways” and clean-ups.

The kids and grandkids are gone, back to their youthful playmates, their comfortable beds, and things familiar to them. It is right. It is the way things are in this day and age of close distance.

I will soon let the air out of the second blow up double mattress in one of the guest rooms; that bedroom will look a lot bigger.

We grandparents had a magnificent time preparing for the feast, the day, the festivities, the noise, the clutter and the chaos. It was wonderful and infectious; teenagers and a nine year old attacked with parents in support, but the ramparts held and we are able to do it again.

It was amazing when everyone left. In an instant I could hear the refrigerator hum again. I could hear the heat pipes creak in the walls, night lights were no longer needed to find one’s way to the bathroom and the hot water returned to normal. AND the sink, we haven’t seen the bottom of the sink in four days and how about the living room floor? It’s no longer festooned with opened toys, abandoned games, old bows, discarded garments, stored gifts, plastic bags of used wrappings and half-empty paper cups.

I would not change it for anything. I can’t wait for next Christmas assuming everyone wants to come here again. We’ll ask if they want to, for we are really over the river and through the woods and it takes a lot of effort to get to this house.

The next holiday is next week, New Years. A wonderful alone time. No noise makers, no shouting “Happy New Year.” I’ll be in bed by ten and will welcome in the next decade by sleeping with expectant wishes, profound hopes for global peace and continued wonderment at the sacred joy of the universe.

Join me!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Time

Christmas Time

© Rolland G. Smith

Christmas time surprises as it

Jumps out from the cold

To warm the late December days with

Frankincense and gold,

It heralds in with music in the silent of

The night,

And when it wakes the child within, my

Memories are all bright.

Happy thoughts are set to play this darkest

Time of light

And brighten up the shortened days with

Friends who reunite.

Chums of old and pals of new, all wishing

Christmas cheer,

With cedar sparks from glowing logs to

Warm the midnight clear.

It’s wrapping hearts in holly green and

Rudolph red with bow

And standing ’neath a berried sprig of

Kissing mistletoe.

Dancing dreams of sugarplums and

Minted candy cane

Bring visions of a Christmas tree and a

Circling tooting train.

There’s spruce to cut and wreaths to make

In circles and in sprays

That decorates the doors and hearths on

Merry Noel days.

There are lights to string, and wood to

Bring, and ornaments to make

For packages beneath the tree, as snow

Begins to flake.

I hearken as the angels sing, with distant

Family near,

And I love to hear a child say the names

Of eight reindeer.

Patina thoughts of Christmas past and

Shiny ones of new

Remind me of the Magi three and a child

Named Jesu.

There’s jingle bells and icicles and

Packages to tie

With ribbons tight and wrappings bright,

Of sleighs up in the sky.

There’s hugs galore and candy more and

Kids with favorite toys

And shirts and socks and building blocks

For little girls and boys.

There are cards and calls and carols,

And candles fill the room,

And tins of sugar cookies shine by red

Poinsettia bloom.

Christmas time indeed surprises in a

Special wondrous way;

In winter and forever, it’s my favorite

Holiday.

Away Again

This is for all of you who are away from home this Christmas. It is a poem I wrote entitled, "Away Again."

I am away this Christmas,

   but I will send my heart

to ring each bell you hear

   when distance keeps us part.

I can’t be with you now

   to sit there by the fire

and hold your hand in mine

   and fill my heart’s desire.

When you awake my love

   You’ll feel my Christmas touch.

Know it is my message -

   I love you very much.

I can’t be home this year

   to hear the season sing

nor be with you to smile

   at every little thing.

I can’t be home this Christmas

   to decorate the tree

So hang a stocking too

   from heart at hearth for me?

When morning comes at dawn,

   with every breath I take

I'll hear your sweetened laugh

   to take away my ache.

I can’t be home this Christmas,

   if only it weren’t so.

Hear my special Christmas wish -

   never again to go.