Almost 2019. Hogmanay is almost apon us.

With 2018 drawing to a close it is almost time for Hogmanay!

I remember people used to go round doors and celebrations would last most of the night, with only a few doors visited and it would go on until well into next day in some houses.

I am not old enough to remember the days where farm workers stayed in bothy's.  But I do remember party's going into well into next day.  However, these days have gone in the last twenty years or so.  Gone are the days when TV used to have a good Hogmanay on TV (though I used to cringe at the thought of the old cronies on TV, the likes of Andy Stewart and the dancers in their kilts and all the people they could muster to sing songs that were only heard on Hogmanay!  Most houses you visited had the TV on in the later years, but before that, after the bells the TV was turned off after the first song which was almost always Auld Land Syne, though I am sure it used to be spelled differently?  However, that aside, it is no longer a door to door party these days, shame really as some of it was a lot of fun, but there was always the drunk who became aggressive or drank to much and his/her stomach would reject all it contents onto someone's floor!  Oh those were the days, we used to go to the pub, then go home for the bells, then set off in hunt of a party.  I lived in the countryside, so finding a party was not so easy.  Armed with a bottle or two or three, it became a whisky only thing to Whisky, Vodka, rum, and a few others.  So in the later years you ended up carrying a bag of bottles, and a few cans of Beer and Lager for the ones that had to much to drink and was on the beer so they could drink a bit less, these were the sensible ones, though as the night wore on they became fewer, some woud hold out a glass that was almost full, just so they could get a bit more, or worse still, drink what they had just so they could get more.  These were always the ones that made trouble for their hosts later on.  I used to walk from the village back home, take in the bells (just in time by the time I left the pub and walked up the road) gave my father and if she (my mother) was drinking (my mother had problems and did not drink much as the years went on, but would take a Blue Lagoon, Vodka and Balls Blue), sometimes get a dram from my father, but I didn't drink cheap whisky often, so if I did get one it was water added just to kill the taste a bit as with other houses when I got whisky.  If they protested about adding water I would either have a beer or drink it in one gulp.  Only problem with doing that is sometimes the glass was filled up again as fast as I could empty it.  This was not my idea of bringing in the New Year, but after a while I didn't care and I would drink as it filled my glass, but I tried not to stay in the same house to long, I wanted to visit a few during the night.  Only problem is I was walking and it took a while to get from one place to another, driving was not on as it would end in the car/bike being left somewhere anyway with the problem of trying to remember where I left it.  However, by the time I left the pub I would not drive anyway, in fact I walked to the pub or took a taxi knowing I would be drinking and not wanting to kill anyone or smash the car or bike I left it at home where it was safe and no temptation to drive was there.

There were some good party's on the go, but as the years passed and the drink driving laws tightened there were less and less people around, people could not be bothered walking from house to house and people could have a New Year drink any weekend if they wanted to, so people would not stay up beyond the bells at midnight, they might stay up an hour just in case a neighbour came in past, but fewer and fewer people stay up.

The TV these days have Edinburgh fireworks etc on TV, from all over the world we can see the firework celebrations, such is technology these days.  But I often wonder if people want to see Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Sidney, New York sending up fireworks?

There are some odd celebrations around such as the Stonehaven Fireballs that used to be good as few other than locals went to them, the crows were so small you could pick your spot to stand and watch them.  You could even follow then from the square down to the harbour where they would toss the baskets of straw and pitch on the end of wire or chains that the walkers would swing round their heads into the harbour.  This was supposed to throw out the old bad year and bring in the new.  However, depending on what you read or who you talk to there were other reasons why it was done, but sometimes the simple explanations are the best.

The TV has been spoiled, the party's have been spoiled (mostly) and the celebrations have all changed.  These days the kids (well young men in the house) would rather go down to Stonehaven to see the Fireballs, watch the fireworks.  Mind you they do not drink a lot, one got so drunk one night he lay on a stone wall in a high street before he staggered to where he used to work.  The foreman saw him and drove him home, he has never drank much since, the other wants to drive everywhere, so he does not drink much, except he will brink my beer that is in the cupboard at night.  So it appears that New Year/Hogmanay is going to die like a lot of other things.  There will always be a thing about a New Year, but the old ways have died.

When it was my fathers time it was the only time they could afford a bottle of whisky to go around the farms and have a good time, farms would lay on a spread of clooty dumpling and shortbread and sandwiches for people to eat.  It was a time when people came together, not always families like Christmas, but people you saw around every other day.  The boss, the farmer, the neighbour, friends, people you didn't really know very well might become a friend and you would get to know other people around that you knew of but didn't have much to do with.  Farmers and other employers would let others know that they might be looking for someone shortly (doing away with the likes of the Turra - Turriff Fea) where farmers and people looking for a better deal would meet and come to some agreement, though this was almost dead by the time my father was in bothy's, it was more a case of knock on doors to find work).

Aye, it is a bit of a shame that such things as Hogmanay is almost dead, but the wife will go to her bed not wanting to be bothered with people coming round, so things do change!

I am not that bothered that much as I am getting a bit older and can't be bothered with lots of drunk people either.  I usually have a dram by myself and watch something on TV if there is something worth watching.  Seldom is except Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and a few other places setting off fireworks, but I refuse to go to bed just to avoid someone coming round,

I would love to go to a party, but I am in a new area and when we moved here it was a half hearted attempt to get a party going by a few of the neighbours, but it caused a bit of stupid behaviour by a couple of them, I was not involved at all.  I didn't even know it was going on until I heard the commotion outside, by this time I didn't want to get involved.  There was one woman flashing her boobs to everyone and showing her bum.  There were a few people next door, but I didn't know if this was a private party or not, so I stayed away.  I was told by the wife I could go round the neighbours if I wanted to, but she was going to her bed!

Well, since then it has been quiet here at Hogmanay!  There are a few fireworks let off (this was never done in the past, but it appears to be the done thing these days!) and will go on for a couple of hours with someone either coming home and letting off the fireworks they bought or someone remembering after a few drinks they have a few bought to let off at Hogmanay, even though it is well after "The Bells" they will still go and let off the fireworks, causing a bit of annoyance to others with young children or babies.

I preferred the organised party when it just happened and the women of the house would go to the fridge/freezer and start putting things into the oven and as more people passed the house so the party would grow.  There were some good parties this way, it was never the ones that were organised that were the good ones.  I have seen it so that I/we were asked to go in past someone as they were going to have a party, but the people that were invited would sit around having the odd drink and eating sometimes.  Not a good atmosphere until the party was gate crashed by a few others doing the rounds, if in fact that happened.  I know of people that for one reason or another giving people drink that they had fallen out with, saying "Go on, it's New Year, a drink will not hurt you" this was a piece offering that should be accepted, bur not always was.  But people would make up, old girlfriends would sometimes laugh at how they broke up with the boyfriend and rekindle their relationship, others would find a new relationship to start off a New Year with.  Some just a one night stand, but it might lead to something else, at least this was what was hoped for.  I started off one on Hogmanay, but I never follower it up!  Maybe I should of, I will never know.

Anyway, when it comes have a Happy New Year and Lang my yer Lum Reek!

Love to all.



Here's to your good health in the coming year