Happy new year to you and yours! You planned the holidays from Halloween through Thanksgiving up to New Year’s Eve. Now what? Spending New Year’s Day at home could be a great way to start 2023.
If you’ve planned and wrapped and baked until you can’t think, we’ve got some ideas on how to spend the first day of the new year. Read on.
Surprise! Jan. 1 is National Hangover Day.
To celebrate it to its fullest extent, one would have needed to, um, participate the night before. Since 2015, this day has been marked — but not really celebrated (since that was accomplished the previous night) — as the day to deal with hangovers in the best ways. If not yours, find someone else to help through a hangover. Dehydration, nausea, and fatigue can be the reward for imbibing too much, and according to WebMD, there’s no cure, but there are treatments. Three things easy to try at home are:
- Water
- Pain relievers
- Sleep
Kick-off not only the year but also National Hot Tea Month.
Wouldn’t a hot cup of tea make the world more civilized today? As the world’s second most popular beverage, second only to water, legends swirl around its origins and traditions spring from many cultures. Lots of flavors, both caffeinated and un, to choose from, and it includes water, see above.
Forget the Rose Parade.
“Never on Sunday” is the motto for this morning devoted to flowery floats since 1890. So even though it’s associated with New Year’s Day and the Rose Bowl game, when Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday, the events are bumped to Jan. 2. The traditional parade and the game between Penn State University and the University of Utah will be broadcast on the second day of 2023.
But you can watch NFL non-stop.
Take that tea (see above) to the couch, grab the remote, and settle in for a lot of football. Kicking off at 1 p.m. will be:
- Broncos and Chiefs
- Saints and Eagles
- Cardinals and Falcons
- Panthers and Buccaneers
- Bears and Lions
- Steelers and Ravens
- Dolphins and Patriots
- Colts and Giants
- Browns and Commanders
- Jaguars and Texans
And still more games at 4:05 p.m. that day:
- Jets and Seahawks
- 49ers and Raiders
Another at 4:25 p.m.:
- Vikings and Packers
And to end the day at 8:20 p.m.
- Rams and Chargers.
Clean out that sock drawer.
Really. Start the year off with organized drawers. Find things quicker and get rid of the stuff with holes or that’s too little or ugly. Lots of stores will put all kinds of containers on sale this month, so be ready. Toss out the junk. Think bigger — organize that messy closet. The good news is The Container Store’s annual Elfa sale is underway, and you can shop the customizable shelving that will corral the chaos. Easy solutions right here.
Organize that shiny, new calendar.
It’s just waiting for 2023 events to fill its pages. Make sure the relatives’ birthdays are penciled in. Figure out which days are office holidays. Plan the vacation.
Make your own luck.
Superstitions. Traditions. Whatever you want to call it, New Year’s Day means eating collard greens or cabbage to promise financial success and black-eyed peas for good luck. Maybe you’re not superstitious, but what could it hurt? Below is a recipe for Hoppin’ John, a dish combining black-eyed peas with rice. Sitting on the sofa, watching the teams play, sipping tea, and eating black-eyed peas can be a great way to start 2023.
Hoppin’ John
2 small onions, diced
2 T. butter
½ t. garlic salt
2 15 ½ ounce cans of black-eyed peas
1 C. quick-cooking rice
2 10 ¾ ounce cans of chicken broth
Sauté onions in butter. Mix together with the remaining ingredients and cook on top of the stove until the liquid is gone. Stir occasionally. Serve with cornbread.
