Does your menu for New Year's Eve (or Day) include special items in honor of the occasion?
In the Brady household during the 1960s and 70s, shrimp cocktail (with the horseradish sauce of course) was the once-a-year guilty pleasure at our little family party. But I don't remember the New Year's Day fare consisting of pork roast and sauerkraut, which is a tradition for many.
You won't find pork and sauerkraut in this Pick-n-Pay ad that ran in the Journal on December 26, 1962 either. It stresses 'party foods,' including various lunch meats, cheese, Vienna sausage, egg nog, sardines and – appropriately enough – Alka-Seltzer.
Mom and Dad used to keep some of those on hand for my siblings and me when we were kids. The plan was to keep us occupied (and awake) during the evening by working on an elaborate puzzle. At midnight, we let loose with the noisemakers as the ball dropped in Times Square on TV, but shortly after that it, it was off to bed with us.