One of the best things about January is the beginning of the New Year 2025. There are all the “firsts:” first sunrise, first meal – cornbread, greens and black eyed peas for luck, if you live in the South – first kisses. It’s your once-a-year chance to start over fresh, rethink old ideas, and maybe gain some new habits. (See the story on page 4 about an unusual, fun way to make resolutions). The second-best thing is the fireworks!
I was always a little in awe of people who got married on New Year Day. One couple, friends of mine for decades, went one step beyond and got married at sunrise on January 1 and then served a wedding breakfast of homemade, piping-hot oyster stew and fresh bread to their dozen guests. Every year on their anniversary, they have a serious talk about whether they want to stay married for another year. (Every year they decide to, but I’m impressed that they make time for the discussion.)
My aunt, on the other hand, was born January 2. She missed being the “first baby of the New Year” by just one day – there were several other babies who were born on January 1, and I’m not sure which one got the honor in that small town my people call home. My aunt will always be number one in my book, so I’m not sure it matters much. (On a side note, I once read about a pair of twins – probably apocryphal – the says that one twin was born on December 31 near midnight and the other in the first few minutes of January 1. So they not only had different birth days, but also birth months, and birth years!)
Whatever your plans and resolutions are for this New Year 2025, I wish you sunny skies, fair winds, and much joy.
