I was talking to my friend the other day, and she asked if I ever said, “Rabbit rabbit.”
“Of course,” I said. “That’s how you get smoke out of your face when you’re at a bonfire.”
“What are you talking about?”
And that’s how I learned that not everyone said, “Rabbit rabbit,” when they wanted to appease the rabbit gods and get smoke out of their faces. Apparently, some people also appeal to the rabbit gods at the start of every month. As this is the beginning of December, I thought I’d share with you four other ways to welcome the new month.
1. Advent Calendar. Even if you’re not religious, the advent calendar is a great way to get ready for Christmas. Pop out the square piece of cardboard and get that piece of candy that’s been tantalizing factory workers for months! Just do it. You won’t regret it.
2. Eat a jarful of herring. If you’re like me, then you’re taking Daily Life Under Stalin this semester, and you were supposed to bring a jar of pickled herring to class on Tuesday. After your initial skepticism, you found that it was actually pretty good, and you might want to make this a monthly tradition!
3. Say “Rabbit rabbit.” Yes, I know I promised four other ways to welcome in the new month, but I promise that this is a surefire way to get friends to respect you—a respect that will last all thirty-one days. These magic words show that you’re with the times, that you’re not “too good” for some good old-fashioned superstition. They show that you know how to have a good time. (P.S. They also bring good luck if they’re the first things you say when you wake up.)
4. Put up Christmas decorations. Some people put up Christmas lights the day after Thanksgiving. I think this is a bit preemptive. It’s much more sensible to wait a couple days, let the tryptophan in the turkey pass through your system, before you go through the arduous task of putting up Christmas lights. In fact, if you’re like my family, you might want to wait until the week before Christmas to set up your tree. Can’t risk getting tired of Christmas before it even happens.
5. Bonus round: Give your best friend a present. December 1 is the official National Day of Giving. I didn’t know this, but my friend did, and placed a small jar of cookies on my desk. Holy moly. I almost cried with joy. It was the best feeling ever. So be a pal: give your friends a gift and bring in the new month with a smile.