End of year traditions

There have been many family traditions over the years. With just two of us at home most years now, we tend to repeat things some years, but also allow in new ideas.

The Winter Solstice is not really our tradition, but we do observe the darkness. Today’s sunrise was at 7:55, and sunset will be at 4:20. And given the rain, it has been a fairly dark day. Except for the moment when the sun was shining, while it was raining. There was a rainbow somewhere.

One of my traditions is to eat a grapefruit. There is a consultant at work who has been sending a box of grapefruit to our office for years. And I always make sure to get one. Carl can’t eat them due to drug interactions, so it’s never on our grocery list. Yes, we could buy one every now and then, but we don’t. And it’s fun to have something to look forward to. Today was the grapefruit morning.

Grapefruit

Another tradition stems from Carl’s crusade to clean the streets of lost money. Throughout the year, pennies, dimes, nickles, guarters, and the occasional bill are found. And stored with their brethren. At the end of the year, a picture of the jar with all of the foundlings is circulated around our block. Everyone can guess the total. The guess that is closest to the actual amount wins the cash.

Cleaning Filthy Lucre

There are a few more traditions on the horizon. Chinese dinner for friends. This year on the 23rd. One of our friends was booked on the 24th, and the restaurant we order from is normally closed on Tuesdays, so unless they make an exception, Monday is a better choice. They usually sell out on Christmas Eve, so perhaps they will make an exception this year.

Walking through Candy Cane Lane on Christmas Eve is a frequent event for us. We will have to see if this holds true for this year or if we turn into weather wimps. There is a chance of rain, of course.

2 Responses to “End of year traditions”

  1. Margaret Says:

    Those are excellent traditions. I wouldn’t want a bunch of change but would enjoy guessing. I would probably be WAY off! I love grapefruit and haven’t had one in a long time.

    • raincharm Says:

      I will try to remember to blind copy you on the neighborhood email with the picture. One of my out-of-state sisters has already submitted a guess with no picture. 🙃 If she wins, she has to come here to collect her winnings.

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