Hilltowns Senior News for Friday, December 23, 2016
Was Saint Sylvester a drunk? New Year’s is his holiday in some parts of the world, and we know almost nothing about him, except that he was elected Pope in 314 and was supposedly a good friend of the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine.
The story about Constantine leading Sylvester’s horse is reputed to be the basis for the Pope’s claim to authority over secular leaders at the time. Seems pretty thin to me, but any justification is better than none.
Alcohol does seem to figure fairly prominently in many areas. Germans eat doughnuts (yes, that is how it ought to be spelled) filled with alcoholic or plain jam, and go from house to house asking for “Speckdicken,” which are pancakes made with molasses and filled with summer sausage and bacon.
Pigs also seem to be a popular theme; do you think “high on the hog” is some sort of bad pun? New Year’s in Scotland is called “Hogmanay,” and involves visiting and gifts. The aforementioned Germans consume a marzipan pig for luck.
Other pig-celebrators come from the United States South, where the traditional New Year’s dinner is black-eyed peas, smoked pork, greens, and cornbread. The entire tortured justification is that the peas swell up, signifying prosperity; the greens represent money, and the cornbread is golden.
This sounds like a badly-written ad campaign to me, but what harm does it do? I have eaten this meal on New Year’s, and I personally am very grateful that it became tradition before some enterprising coastal dweller decided that octopus or dogfish should be the meal of the fortunate. I wonder, should those 4 a.m. breakfasts of bacon and eggs after the bars close count as celebrations?
Among serious drinkers, New Year’s is referred to as “amateur night.” It’s the time when all the people who don’t have any practice driving using the center stripe as a guide come out to try their lack of skill.
Maybe it would save some lives if along with First Night we held a demolition derby? All the drunks could be strapped into cars with roll bars and harnesses, and run around on a padded track.
Fireworks are very popular, at least in places where you’re not likely to get frostbite. New York and other northern cities hire professionals to go out there and freeze for our entertainment.
“Auld Lang Syne” was Guy Lombardo’s big band signature tune at midnight in the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom, and was aired on radio and then television from 1928 to 1976. (Dick Clark was the new kid on the block.)
In Mexico, you are supposed to eat a grape on each stroke of the clock at midnight, and make wishes for the year to come. My favorite tradition, also from Mexico, is writing down all the bad things and unhappy events of the previous year on a piece of paper, and then throwing the paper into a fire to reduce them, and all they symbolize, to ash. Having cleared out the old year, you are ready to start the new with a clean slate.
If you think I sound a little cynical, you’re probably right. I’ve already done all those other things (except the grapes), and no longer feel the need to try so hard to act festive.
My idea of a great New Year’s celebration is a nice dinner, a seat by the fire, and my memories of all the friends and blessings I’ve had all year. With hope and peace to everyone, I wish you the New Year of your fondest desires.
Coming up
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month (pay attention!). This week begins with Christmas and Christmas Pudding Day on the 25th, and the week of Kwanzaa begins on the 26th. (Kwanzaa began in 1966, as the first African-American holiday. Kwanzaa comes from Swahili “matunda ya kwanza” which means "first fruits of the harvest").
National Thank-you Note Day is the 26th, and Howdy Doody Day is the 27th. Endangered Species Act Dayis the 28th, and National Chocolate Day occurs on the 29th. December 30th is Bacon Day (see? There are those pigs again!), and we end the week and the year with Universal Hour of Peace Day, and World Peace Meditation Day on the 31st.
Remember, there is no lunch on Monday, Dec. 26, or Monday, Jan. 2.
The senior shopping bus’s next trips are scheduled for Dec. 28 and Jan. 11. Call CDTA at 437-5161 two days in advance to arrange for pickup.
Menu
Another thing to be grateful for is the Senior Lunch Program at the Berne Senior and Community Center. The doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon. We also have games, dominoes, and cards on Mondays and Tuesdays.
— Monday, Dec. 26, no lunch;
— Tuesday, Dec. 27, meatloaf with tomato gravy, seasoned oven roast potatoes, cauliflower, wheat bread, pound cake with strawberries and whipped topping, and milk; and
— Friday, Dec. 30, mac and cheese, stewed tomatoes, wheat bread, baked apples, and milk.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, give Mary Moller a call at 861-6253, or email her at , and put “volunteer” in the subject line.
Lunches are provided by Helderberg Senior Services, the Albany County Department of Aging, and Senior Services of Albany. The Town of Berne Community and Senior Services Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.