New Year's Eve Traditions {guest post from Fieldtripmom}

Today I'm excited to have Alma from Fieldtripmom share all the fun she and her family have for New Year's Eve. She and her family share great adventures in Southern California with a main focus in the Los Angeles/ Orange County area. Just like us Fieldtripmom knows how to combine fun and learning and visiting great museums. I'm truly honored to have her sharing her adventures with us today.

Fieldtripmom has lived in Los Angeles all her life and has a passion for life. She is all about caring for her family while making new memories. 

We hope you enjoy reading all about Fieldtripmom's New Year's Eve celebration traditions as much as we did. Visit her Facebook page. 

Our traditional New Year’s Eve celebration requires you have the following:

1.      No clutter in the house

2.      Tamales for Dinner

3.      Sparkling Apple Cider

4.      Grapes (12) per guest

5.      Scarfs and Coats: Travel gear

6.      Luggage

7.      Humor

The New Year’s Eve celebration begins weeks in advance with the de-cluttering of the house. The menu for dinner is Tamales, which I prepare a few days before the New Year Eve. Sparkling cider is great for bring in the New Year Eve with my entire family.  Grapes are used for making wishes at mid-night. The scarfs and travel coats are for wearing when you run around with the luggage. New Year’s Eve is a day of fun and laughter, so a sense of humor is a must in my house. Let me explain what happens in our home.

I de-clutter the house weeks in advance, so on the big day my house is super clean. This will encourage an organized beginning as well as a clean start. Removing unwanted items also ensures that I take stock of my spending habits and forces me to see what is not really needed at home. This process takes a few weeks to complete because I do it for every room.  This includes cleaning and organizing the bedrooms, bathrooms, drawers, closets and even my purse.  During this time, I give away, donate to charity or just throw it away but all my clutter has to be gone by December 28, 2012.   

Then, I need to start making our Tamale preparations. The Tamales will be our main dish for our New Year’s Eve. It takes me a few days to get all the ingredients together and I usually make the sauce a day before making the tamales.  After I have cooked them, I freeze them to keep them fresh for the big day.  I will then bring them out on New Year’s Eve to be steamed and warmed up for dinner.  

Right before midnight, I prepare the Sparkling Apple Cider and grapes for everyone in the house.  The rule in our house is for each person to eat (12) grapes and making their wishes right at midnight.  After we eat a grape we make a wish.  Once we are done eating our grapes, we take turns running outside with luggage in hand, our scarves, jackets and hats wishing all a Happy New Year!  

This silly practice will ensure that we keep traveling all year long.  Just image me with a coat, a few scarfs and luggage running down the street pretending I am going on an exotic vacation. You guessed it; the neighbors think it is weird.  (On occasion some neighbors have adopted this practice, just to ensure they travel too). The running with luggage is so much fun, the kids and adults love this idea.  I can always count on everyone in my family to participate and have a great time laughing as they drag the luggage down the street. Which reminds me I need new luggage? Last year my set took a tumble, but that is another story which I will save for another day. 

Happy New Year!!!  

We hope you enjoyed Fieldtripmom's post, make sure you visit her blog to find out what new adventures she and her family are having in Southern California. You may also follow her on Twitter  for more on her adventures.