New Year's Day tradition

Do you have a tradition for New Year's Day? I don't mean resolutions, I mean things like eating black-eyed peas, cleaning your fridge, or like Ned Flanders from the Simpsons filing your taxes. Ah, Ned! You keep it real.

Here are a couple of photos of my family's New Year's Day tradition:

My family's tradition was actually always dependent on others—a Japanese food extravaganza that was hosted at my friend's house down the street, by her inestimably talented cook of a mother. A table is laden, absolutely laden, with food both delicious and symbolic. Luck, health, fertility (if you're in the mood for that), all that good stuff.

But my friend's mother has moved to a much smaller house, and decided it was time to hang up her party-apron. And so... drumroll please... my mother threw the party this year! She cooked for days and trotted out all her incredible hand-crafted Japanese pottery. And once the food was all arranged, with shiso leaves on each platter for that frilly touch of green, the guests arrived and gave just as many Oohs and Aahs as had ever attended the traditional party.

There were three generations of Japanese and us whippersnapper Japanese-mixes there. We could see that the tradition would continue. Now I just have to learn how to make and beautifully arrange about three dozen dishes.

A very very happy, healthy, lucky, and multi-generational new year to you all.