Little New Year

            My VIP for this week is Little New Year. Most people know about Little New Year, the baby wearing only a diaper and chasing an old man away, but few of them know him personally. Little New Year has been visiting my family since before I was born. His visits have become a tradition for my family, a tradition that started accidently more than 70 years ago.

            One holiday season when my older siblings were very young, my parents found themselves with extra candy and nuts left over from Christmas. They wondered what they could do with the treats, and they decided to give them to Little New Year to distribute to good little children. Sometime later there was a knock at the door, and the children discovered a treat on the doorstep. They wondered who brought the treat and were told that it must have been Little New Year. One or more of the children chased Little New Year around the block but never caught up with him. However, he came back to visit every New Year’s Eve from that time.

            The tradition continued in the next generation. Little New Year came to our house every New Year’s Eve for as long as we had children at home. Now he visits my grandchildren wherever they live. The grandchildren look forward to finding treats on their doorsteps on New Year’s Eve, and then they enjoy an extra special evening with family.

            Little New Year always comes to celebrate New Year’s Eve with our family. Happy New Year to one and all! May you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2018!