January, Folio 2r, Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. The Limbourg Brothers, ca. 1412-1416. Ms. 65, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

Scumps! Scumps! A toast to this night! The outlook is rosy; the future is bright!

In days of old, the new year was brought in with gifts to one another (see illustration) and feasting.

Of course.

Well, however you may be celebrating, feasts, scumps, gifts or whatever, may you and yours (and all, everywhere) be granted all that you need and just enough of what you want…and the wherewithal to distinguish which is which.

2012: we haven’t screwed it all up yet.

Here’s to the hope that we don’t. Here’s to peace and goodwill among all peoples. Here’ s to the bright, shiny hope that this is the year we get it right. And to the hope that, even if we don’t, there will yet be peace of mind and moments of shining, pure, unadulterated joy among friends and family. There’s always the hope of 2013.

Happy, happy new year. A bit of luck and love to us all.

Scumps!