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New Year’s Eve: How The Royals Do It

There's no place like home it seems for the newest royal couple, even when it comes to celebrating New Year’s Eve! But family first.  Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and hubby Prince William, first spent Christmas with Will’s side of the family and then returned to Catherine’s folks in Berkshire to celebrate the New Year with her parents and sister Pippa.

The Duchess was dressed comfortably in jeans which was fitting while she played with the family’s two dogs at the tail end of 2011.  It looked like an enjoyable family time out. Later on, Catherine was dressed to impress for her participation in the “canvas palace” that had been set up by Pippa.

And already in 2012 Catherine has started her work.  It was just announced that she has become the patron of four worthy charities: Action on Addiction, East Anglia's Children's Hospices, the Art Room and the National Portrait Gallery. It’s good that she had a relaxing time over the holiday period, as now it’s work, work, work for the young lady, especially as her husband will soon be deployed.

One Whole Century, He’s Still Serving Patients

Yes, indeed.  A doctor who just turned one hundred, is still making house calls to his patients.  According to Dr. Fred Goldman, this is a crucial part of his work since a lot of them are too sick to leave their houses.   He has been serving his patients faithfully for 76 years and a couple of weeks ago, tons of them came to throw him a surprise birthday party.  But it ended up with him surprising them as he showed up an hour-and-a-half early.  Still, there must have been some surprise element as he said he nearly had a heart attack on seeing so many people gather there for him.

At 100-years old, Goldman is the oldest licensed physician who is practicing medicine in Ohio.  At the party he couldn’t stop himself from being in his natural element by asking his patients about their various ailments.

Still, some people are surprised that his patients are so loyal to him.  Why would they want to be treated by such an elderly doctor?  Well, one of his patients – fourth generation – explained it simply:  “he’s seen it all and he knows everything.”  Now that is a pretty tough argument with which to contend.

Goldman’s Later Career Path

In 2007, Dr. Goldman asked Dr. Leo Wayne – who was 81-years-old at the time – to join him.  But Wayne was ready to retire, and, at age 96, Goldman cut back from five to three eight-hour work days.  Wayne said he would not suggest Goldman retire.  He is a great diagnostician, knows his patients and realizes he’s still up to the job.  In addition, he said that most people his age don’t feel a thing; “they’re dead,” he added, to a roar of laughter from the crowd.

New Year’s Eve and Day Traditions

Why do so many people celebrate and party on New Year’s Eve?  What happens – apart from nursing a hangover – about New Year’s Day?  It seems like the traditions on these dates goes back a long time.  The first month – January – was established by the Roman Calendar and was named after Janus, a god, which is also the Latin word for door.  Janus had two faces enabling him to look back into the old year (and perhaps inspire him to make changes from his past actions) and forwards into the new one.

The Door Custom

In the olden days, the New Year started with a custom known as the 'first footing', which was intended to bring people good luck in the New Year. After midnight, people waited behind their doors for someone with dark-hair to show up, carrying a piece of coal, bread, money and greenery. These symbolic items were meant for good luck; the coal to ensure a warm house; the bread to symbolize everyone in the house having enough to eat; money so that no-one experienced poverty and greenery for a long life. Following this, the dark-haired guest took a pan with dust or ashes in, to signify the end of the old year and beginning of the new one.

New Year’s Eve Today

Today it seems most of these traditions are no longer kept. People just party pretty hard, get a bit drunk and enjoy fireworks in most places.  In Great Britain at the stroke of midnight, partygoers traditionally link arms and sing Auld Lang Syne to remind them of old and new friends.  In New York they watch the ball drop and in San Francisco, the Waterfront Area is a very popular place to be at midnight.

Post-Christmas Shopping and Holiday Deals

Retailers across America have been anticipating December 26th, the day after Christmas, for weeks now. This year’s post-Christmas shop will be even more dramatic, since it fell out on a Monday.

The day is a shopping day every year, with shoppers ready to exchange items or redeem gift cards at the break of dawn. Last year, however, the 26th was a Sunday; a day often dedicated to family time, and a day on which blue laws usually require at least limited opening hours for stores. This year, it’s a Monday, and often still a vacation from work, too.

ShopperTrak, a retail research firm, predicted that foot traffic on the 26th would be 60% up from last year’s day-after-Christmas. In a survey from American Express, 57% of Americans said they planned to shop on the 26th, while last year the number reached 43%.

In general, after Christmas sales are popular for reasons other than just gift cards. Millions of Americans reported that they decided to cut back or delay on their Christmas spending, with many waiting for the 50% or 75% discounts available throughout the country after the holidays. A survey revealed that 6% of respondents are waiting until after January to do the majority of their shopping.

Retailers, on the other hand, prefer that shoppers buy sooner rather than later. Hundreds of stores offered 40% and 50% off deals BEFORE Christmas, instead of waiting.

The chief executive of a retailer explained: “The inventory is worth so much less in two weeks. With that kind of inventory, you’ve got to get rid of it. Whatever the margin is today, it’s that much lower next week and the week after when traffic stops.”

Chennai Residents Take Christmas Seriously

Those in Chennai certainly don’t mess around when it comes to Christmas festivities.  This was clearly evident at the Le Royal Meridien hotel.  Its Christmas tree stood at a staggering 35 feet, nearly touching the domed-shape ceiling of the hotel lobby.  Indeed, onlookers think it may even be longer than the length of the chimney Santa Claus has to travel down!  According to the hotel’s General Manager, Jennifer Buhr, the extremely large tree is traditional in the hotel; a custom that begun 10 years ago at the hotel’s first Christmas.  Decorating the tree requires between 12 and 16 people but it is always fun.

As well, there is some religious input into the holiday at the hotel.  A senior pastor from New Life Assembly of God Church delivered a prayer and message and thereafter turned on all the beautiful lights which sat beautifully next to the cotton-wool snow.  He then inaugurated the “Gourmandises,” their version of a Ginger Bread House.  It looks like it is going to be a very merry Christmas for guests in Chennai.

FedEx Smiles in the Holiday Season

 

Everyone enjoys a bit of festivity. Even busy businessmen and those who have to work over the holiday season can’t help but adorn their faces with a smile.  This is definitely the case for FedEx which delivers tons of packages around the holiday season.  Indeed, reports show that a couple of days ago the company delivered over 17 million packages in just one day!

The people at FedEx work especially hard around the holiday season.  Sometimes employees are working more than 12 hours shifts and it doesn’t matter if it’s snowing outside – those FedEx packages have to be delivered. But at least they bring smiles to the faces of the people receiving the packages. When people get their Christmas FedEx packages, you can feel the radiation from the smiles from miles away.

And, come Christmas 2011, FedEx is ensuring its customer base that every single package will be delivered for Christmas.  So if you’re looking for something to smile about, when you see those men and women in their navy-blue and purple-stripe clad uniforms, you’re sure to say goodbye to them with a smile on your face!  Now let’s see what’s in those packages…