The Generation X Files

Do you avoid black cats in your path or walking under ladders?

It’s funny how we think doing certain things might change our luck or fortune. I wonder who the first person was to step on a crack and discover that was the direct cause of their bad day. At least they passed that crucial information on so the rest of us would know!

I guess that’s probably what a lot of it boils down to. Things passed down by our ancestors which over time became traditions.

It’s something I was thinking about with tomorrow being New Year’s Eve. In Scotland, we call it Hogmanay and there’s lots of traditions and superstitions associated with it.

One of the big ones is to have a lucky ‘first foot’ come through your door after midnight. The ideal visitor should be a tall, dark-haired male bearing gifts (sounds ideal at any time of the year!).

The gifts are symbolic, whiskey for good cheer, shortbread for sustenance, money for wealth etc. The idea is that first person through your door on New Year’s Day will influence the fortune of the household in the coming year.

There are regional variations but you get the idea. It’s one of those things that might seem a little outdated now. I like the idea behind it though. Starting the New Year off on the right foot so to speak!

It’s not just Scotland of course, there are New Year’s Eve traditions across the world. From eating 12 grapes during the bell chimes in Spain, to putting three potatoes under each bed in Colombia – it seems we all have ways to give our luck an annual boost!

If only it was that easy. Being able to change our luck just by performing certain rituals on a certain day sounds like something we’d all do if we had the chance. But, with so many traditions how do you know which ones are going to work? What if you can’t do them, do you get bad luck?

Here’s the thing, I’ve reached the age where I’m struggling to keep my eyes open within hours of eating my evening meal. The chances of me being awake to hear any kind of bells at midnight on NYE are slim to zero! Is the universe going to notice that I’m not celebrating ‘properly’? Am I going to start the coming year in a luck deficit, betrayed by my own pesky circadian rhythm?

We’re in that strange limbo time right now, between festive events.

We’ve had months of advertising and (forced?) consumerism and we’re at our most susceptible. It’s the time of year where we start to reflect and it’s not always in a positive light.

It is during this period (where many of us have over-indulged) that we start to think about what we will change in the future. We make promises calling them ‘New Year’s Resolutions’.

I used to make them until I realised, I was setting myself up for future disappointment. I just decided one year not to do it any more because what’s the point? There’s enough things to worry about without putting additional stress on yourself. You can have good intentions about all kinds of things……then life happens!

It feels sort of liberating to realise that you don’t have to follow the rules if you don’t want to. To accept that, in the grand scheme of things, how you celebrate (or don’t) isn’t really going to affect how the rest of the year will turn out. To reject the idea that one day of the year is more important than any other if it doesn’t really feel that way to you.

It’s okay if you’re just ready for this year to be over and start again next year.

I think I spent so many years trying to have the ‘perfect’ New Year celebration that it ended up being more stressful than a happy event. I went out because I felt like I should but honestly, I’d have been happier (and warmer!) at home. It’s not that I’m not sociable, it’s just that the older I get, the more I want to hibernate during winter!

That’s why I don’t mind that I might be asleep instead of out ‘celebrating’. I’ll be spending it exactly how I choose. No pressure and no hangover! That sounds to me like a great start to the year!

I don’t think following traditions to the letter will make me any luckier. I’m not even going to be little bit stitious! I’m just going to wait and see what the new year brings because after this last one, who knows what could happen!

However you’re spending your New Year’s Eve, I wish you all the best for 2026!

Happy New Year!

Cheers 🥂

Citizen Jane x

p.s I’d love to hear about your New Year’s Eve traditions! Share them in the comments below!