Grapes, Games and a New Year

We rang in the New Year at home this year, surrounded by good neighbors, great food, and the kind of joyful chaos that makes parties memorable. Our living room turned into a hub of laughter and music, with games going on at every table and enough snacks to feed a small army. Rieke was right in the middle of it all — laughing, joking, and soaking up every moment of her first American New Year’s Eve.

But when midnight hit, she surprised us all with a “German tradition” none of us had ever heard of: stuffing grapes in your mouth while sitting under the table. With zero hesitation (and no fact-checking), everyone joined in. There we were — grown adults and kids alike — crouched under the dining table, cheeks full of grapes, laughing so hard we could barely chew. Whether or not it’s a real tradition didn’t really matter. Rieke made it one, and it was the perfect, quirky, hilarious way to welcome 2025.