Hello! Did you miss me? Sorry for a few weeks away, but I was hit with one of those untimely situations of a broken computer. I have it back now and have FOUR newsletters ready to come your way over the next few days. That will get us all caught up with the missing newsletters. Then going into the new year, you will have a whole new year of great content here to look forward to from the Field Trip newsletter.
Thanks so much for being here! It’s been almost eleven months since I started this newsletter, and I’m so thankful for the community that it has forged. - Erin
Let’s jump right into it!
I don’t know about you, but I can barely stay up past 10PM, let alone make it to midnight, so I thought it would be fun to share with you, ways the New Year is celebrated around the world. You are guaranteed to still feel good the next day rather than drag through.
Ways we celebrate New Year’s around the world:
Japan: People celebrate with soba noodles and get together to make mochi rice cakes. Get your postcards ready, too! In Japan, people send well wishes and good luck for the year by mailing New Year’s postcards to all their faraway pen pals and loved ones. Spend the evening with your child writing postcards to faraway friends while watching firework celebrations in different time zones.
Scotland: Everyone tries to be the first in this country, such as the first to cross into a friend’s home. And they don’t come empty-handed—it’s customary to give a small gift like bread, a coin, salt, coal, or a drink, each gift with its own meaning.
Philippines: In the Philippines, revelers dress in polka dots to celebrate the New Year. The round shape is believed to bring prosperity. Decorate plain, white t-shirts with polka dots to welcome the new year.
Germany: Germans love pig-shaped candy or cookies and serve them at midnight. Fortunately, it’s thought that these treats bring good luck to anyone that consumes them.
Spain: The 12 Grapes of Luck bless this celebration, with one grape consumed with each chime of the clock. Cut the grapes in half for small children. Legend has it that the grapes chase away evil spirits and bring prosperity.
Cross Over Time Zones for New Year’s Eve:
If letting your child stay up until midnight seems unreasonable, consider planning
a celebration where you commemorate the New Year arriving in a different part of the world. That way, you can still celebrate with your little ones earlier in the day, get them to bed on schedule, and they can learn about other country’s festivities in the process.
Do you plan to try one of these ways? Tag Field Trip and myself on Instagram so that we can see how you ring in the New Year with your kids. Until tomorrow…