Nothing Says “Happy New Year” like Old Time Babies Drinkin’ Booze!

U2 sings “Nothing changes on New Year’s Day”, and I think they’re right. BUT, over the years what was considered cute seems to have changed. A lot.

This vintage card is from about the turn of the 20th century. (1900-ish, for anyone who is confused). Maybe this is why they came up with the Constitutional Amendment forbidding alcohol, (prohibiting alcohol, Amendment 18, for those of you who are confused). It seems too many babies were celebrating New Years Eve, and perhaps other holidays, and drinking from huge champagne glasses.

Babies shouldn't drink, even on New Years Eve

In 1933 came the repeal of this ill-conceieved ban: the 21st Amendment. This repeal was basically so people could drink themselves into drunken stupors because The Great Depression (economic collapse) made everyone (except really rich people) really poor. I’m not sure if babies got in on the drinking at that time too, but most of them probably went off to war a few years later (December 8, 1941–September 2, 1945) to fight the Germans and the Japanese. Lots of alcohol was flowing then. And boom–no more Depression. Alcohol had solved everything.

Or maybe babies were just much, much smaller 110 years ago. The cork seems gigantic also. So, the mystery continues!

Any thoughts on this matter?

Any hopes for the New Year that you’d like to share?

Oh, and Happy New Year!


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Spark My Muse

Lisa Colón DeLay writes often on matters of the attending to the inner life, creating a beloved community, spiritual formation, and consciousness. She is also a designer, teacher, speaker, and host of the weekly broadcast Spark My Muse since 2015. Lisa is Latina (born in Puerto Rico) and holds an MA in Spiritual Formation and is the author of "The Wild Land Within" (Broadleaf Books) and other books.

4 thoughts on “Nothing Says “Happy New Year” like Old Time Babies Drinkin’ Booze!”

  1. Amusing….. :)

    I assume you know, however, that the baby at New Year’s symbolizes the New Year…and an old decrepit man often times lying down next to an oak tree would represent the year past….

    So, what does Cressona drop for New Year’s? ;)

  3. I can hear them now, “My little Johnny falls fast asleep after his bottle…but I think he wakes up with a wicked headache.”

  4. Yes, the old age and new baby analogy was never lost on me. Though that is weird in its own right. Hum. I think folks from Cressona drop lit matches (It would have to be something arson related.) I did hear a bunch of fireworks and some clanking of pans for about 15 minutes. Pottsville had dropped a can of Yuengling for a few years. CLASSY.

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