Wash Away the Troubles of the Past Year

While many people have of heard of spring cleaning, I'm not sure that many have heard of New Year's cleaning. Well, that's a tradition I've celebrated since I was a child. My Mom convinced me that if we gave our house a thorough cleaning on New Year's Eve day we would wash away all the troubles of the past year. While I didn't really like her thinking when I was a kid, I can certainly appreciate it now.

A good cleaning right before New Year's gives everyone the opportunity to make room for all the new Christmas presents and it allows you to start the year with a clean and well-organized house. I think it helps give my mind a clean start to the New Year. In my case, it has also helped establish another tradition that I've celebrated for the last 10 years or so. I throw a big New Year's party at my house every year. I figure it only makes sense, the house is cleaner than it is any other time of the year and I think it's only appropriate to usher in the New Year with friends in our tidy home.

~Scott R., Pulaski, Tennessee