Happy New Year, Guildees!
January is a time to take a deep breath, realign our priorities, and set intentions for the year ahead. Forget resolutions and step into the New Year with a clean slate instead.
Start a New Tradition: The Big Clean
This year, instead of making the same old resolutions that will probably fizzle out by February, why not try clicking your mental and physical reset button with an end of the year deep clean!
In Japan, the tradition of Oosouji (literally, “big cleaning”) has evolved into a nationwide reset to welcome in the New Year. Oosouji is about more than scrubbing floors or organizing drawers; it’s about ridding your home of lingering negativity from the past year, and making space for fresh beginnings.
Haitians similarly practice two days of deep cleaning on December 30th and 31st to get ready for the dual celebration of New Year’s and Independence Day. Sometimes they even buy fresh pajamas and new sheets to start the year off right.
So channel your inner Marie Kondo, throw on an episode of Swedish Death Cleaning and let’s get to it!
Ways to incorporate these traditions into your own life
Begin with intention. And don’t try to do too much by yourself!
Start with a single area—your kitchen, bedroom, or even just one cluttered corner—and approach it with care. While decluttering, ask yourself: Does this object still serve me? Am I holding onto it out of joy, habit, or guilt?
Any dust or grime that has gathered represents the past year’s stagnation. By making it a clean, intentional space again, you are fostering clarity and making space for good fortune to find you. (Or at least you now know where your favorite spatula is, which is always a win!)
When you’re done, make yourself a cup of cocoa, light a candle, or whatever you do to feel cozy, and take in the tranquility of a decluttered space.
If deep cleaning is way too much to handle after the chaos of the holidays, try a micro-reset instead.
On December 31st (before you go out to celebrate):
- Make the bed with freshly laundered sheets and lay out fresh pajamas
- Tidy up your beside table, making an intentional place for your essentials: phone, watch, glasses, water carafe, etc.
- Start a fresh journal for 2025 and write a note to yourself about one thing you want to accomplish by this time next year.
You’re now ready to celebrate the New Year in style!
Marks of Quality
This week’s Spotlight: Champagne glasses and other fine glassware
- Design
- Clarity
- Weight
- Rim
- Qualities of Crystal
Design, stability, and seams: Examine the design for visible seams or imperfections; high-quality pieces will be symmetrical, have clean, well-defined patterns with no obvious seams, and will sit on a table with no wobble or lean.
Clarity: Hold the glass up to light. High-quality glassware should be very clear and without any bubbles or discoloration, unless the bubbles or color variations are an obviously intentional feature that is repeated across glasses in the same set.
Thickness and weight: Feel the glass; it should feel well-balanced for its purpose, without being overly heavy or prone to tipping. What to look for varies greatly based on the type of alcohol it is designed to hold, but in general, stemware (aka wine glasses) should be lighter and evenly balanced with a fine stem that is long enough to comfortably hold without touching the bowl of the glass (where the wine goes). Spirits glasses (aka whisky, DOFs, and Collins glasses) should be comfortable to hold with one hand, have a noticeably heavier base, and a comfortably thin lip to drink from.
Rim quality: Look for a smooth, even rim with no rough edges that is close to the same thickness as the rest of the glass or thinner. Thicker rolled rims, especially those with a visible lip bead, are a sign of machine mass production. This is not bad per se, but may not be as nice to drink from as a smoother, thinner rim.
Did you know that crystal wineglasses sing?
If you are buying crystal or very high-quality stemware, look for a cut and polished rim, thin walls, long stem, and a distinct ringing when you tap the bowl.
Seasons Eatings
After the chaos of the holidays are over, it is the perfect time for a return to simplicity in the kitchen. Enjoy simple roasted root vegetables, hearty soups, and bright citrus fruits that bring comfort and cheer to our long winter nights.
One dish worth trying is a classic citrus salad. Combine ruby red grapefruit, blood orange slices, Throw in some pistachios and pomegranate seeds (if you have them), baby arugula, and finely sliced red onion (if you want), toss with a light viniagrette, top with fresh mint and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt for a dish that is as vibrant as it is nourishing.
This dish is simple enough to be assembled without a recipe, but if you are in need of a little inspiration, check out this super simple citrus viniagrette from food.com.
Happy New Year 2025!
xo MEA
