For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

A toast to family, good friends, old memories and new opportunities as we greet a new year!

For generations, we have celebrated the new year with a cheer, a kiss, and a champagne toast.

Ancient of Days

Saluting one another, royalty, or deities with a glass of ale, wine or other alcoholic beverage is one of the oldest customs in history. Historians say nearly every culture and race has some tradition of pledging to another’s health. In Rome, the Senate demanded that all diners drink to Emperor Augustus before every meal.

Quite often alcohol was involved, but not for the same reasons we drink today. Often fermented beverages were far healthier for their drinkers than the water they could get. Royal families would drink champagne because it doesn't breed bacteria like water.

While royals were the ones who could most easily afford such luxuries, it’s also one of the reasons Jesus and the disciples drank wine, even before He sanctified wine as a symbol of his blood at the Last Supper.

In the 1500s, the church was actually the most common place to have a toast – the wealthy patrons of an assembly would gather in a religious ceremony to toast the new year.  

Wait, Literal Toast?

According to historians, the term toast comes from the choice of garnish in the drink. Beginning around the 17th century, chunks of toasted bread or croutons were used to enhance alcoholic drinks, just like adding salt and lime to tequila or lemon to your iced tea. The term persisted even after bread had been phased out - anything floating in your drink was referred to as toast.

A Clink in Time

There are many rumors and stories around the reason for the clink. One story goes that the sound of the clink, like a bell, scared the devil away - it’s very important to start the new year without Satan’s influence after all.

A different perspective is that the clink makes the toasting experience a delight for all senses – touch, taste, smell, sight and sound.

Another tale is that royalty would purposely be sloppy with their toasts and as the glasses clinked, some of each drink was exchanged with the other party’s glass. Anyone attempting to poison the king would risk getting some of the toxic drink in their glass as well.

Strangely enough, more recently clinking of glasses was seen as very “working class.” So if you want to seem more bourgeoisie, you raise glasses and DON’T clink them.

Special Bubbly

In the 17^th century, wealthy French citizens followed the lead of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and opted to drink champagne as a sign of their prosperity. While some believe that any sparkling wine will do, true aficionados know that “real” champagne (legally) only comes from the Champagne region of France, thanks to the Treaty of Versailles that also ended World War I.

Here in America, after we won the Revolutionary War, every formal political dinner would begin with 13 toasts – one for each of the original colonies. Later, during the years of prohibition, everything got a bit more complicated. Some folks toasted with empty glasses, tried bootleg champagne, or “accidentally” converted their dried grape purchases to wine according to the warning/instructions printed on the packaging.

Something to keep in mind when you raise a glass this Tuesday night - Good News Pest Solutions will be closed on Wednesday, so our employees can enjoy the day and start 2025 with their families. And we wish all of you - staff, friends, families, clients and neighbors - a wonderful 2025 filled with health, love, happiness, prosperity and peace.

We’ll be back on Thursday and Friday and ready to schedule our existing and any new clients for our most popular Go Green Perimeter Plus program. Or you can start the new year by investing in TAP insulation to keep insects and rodents out and your family safe and secure.

For more information, or to schedule your first appointment, please give us a call!