As we welcome in the brand year of 2013, it is filled, both with a sense of anticipation on what the new year brings for us all, as well as a natural reflection on how we did in the old year, 2012.  Every new day, of course, is really kind of a repeat of past days – it is how we view and treat it, what we do with it, that makes all the difference.  In the case of the first day of the new year, we each realize that this is something special.

I suppose that I’m kind of lucky to be one of those who has a nearly continuous memory of major and mundane events in one’s life, going back to around 3-4 years old.  Oh, I don’t remember every little detail, but similar to recalling what happened last year, I have decent memories back to around 1955.  I have read somewhere that lying dormant in our brains, are organic bytes ready to relive every memory of every moment of our lives – the challenge is being able to locate the information.  Eidetic (or photographic) memory must be an amazing gift – but then, you’d also remember all of the junk stuff too, haha.  Anyways, the earliest New Year’s Eve I can remember was spent at my relatives’ home in Kalihi.  Their steep, brush-covered backyard was a part of the western slopes of Kalihi Valley (on the other side of their “backyard hill” was Fort Shafter).  They had a terrific panoramic view of Honolulu city, from which we watched the old-time aerials and could hear the thunderous sounds of fireworks echoing through the smoke-filled valley.  I was introduced to the wonderful world of crackerballs, sparklers, checkerbombs, and the ancient roman candles.  Of course, at that age, I could only hold the sparkler and throw a few crackerballs…boy, I wonder how closely my parents kept watch over us back then ;)  My dad would drive us back home in the wee hours of the new year and I’d enter the first day of the year, fast asleep, my head bobbing on my dad’s muscular shoulder as he carried me into the house.

Over the next few New Year’s Eves, my annual challenge would be to stay up through midnight, hear the mighty roar of thousands of firecrackers, and welcome the new year with my cousins and the adult relatives (I have never understood the significance of singing “Auld Lang Syne” – better known as “We’re Here Because We’re Here, Because…” heheh).  I graduated from sparklers to crackerballs, then later to firecrackers.  As a teenager, I had the occasional honor of lighting the “20,000” firecracker packs at midnight.  I use quotations because there was always a question as to whether those expensive packs really contained 20,000 firecrackers or not :)  I’d go to bed at about 3:00 am, sleep late and wake up to watch the recently created Superbowl football game with my dad.

The day after New Year’s Eve is the first day of the new year itself.  My parents began to host the family Eve celebrations when I was around 8 or 9 years old.  From then on, my very first act of the first day of the new year began by….sweeping the tons of red paper on the driveway, on the front lawn, and on the street.  The task would take no more than a half hour to complete (unless it had rained that night) and gradually began to take on a symbolic meaning to me.  I felt as if I were actually (and metaphorically) sweeping away the remnants and trash from the previous year.  After all of the debris had been collected up and stuffed into trash bags, I would complete the process by washing down the driveway.  The cleaned frontage kind of represented the brand new year – kind of a neat way to start off the day, and the year.

The last time we ever hosted and popped firecrackers at my parents’ home was some 35 years ago.  I outgrew my fascination with fireworks and popped my last firecracker way back then.  Today, we celebrate New Year’s Day by joining my wife’s family and sharing in eating mochi soup.  The tradition of popping firecrackers, while still carried out by some, has largely gone away.  I don’t miss the noise and I don’t miss the smoke…but sometimes, I do think about my own mini-tradition of sweeping out the old year and washing down to welcome the new.  I’m sure that each of us has our own thoughts on the turning of the new year…I pray that it’s as special a time for you as it is for me.  Have a terrific year in 2013!