"When you look at old photos of our parents and grandparents, you see that everyone is dressed nicely at big holiday gatherings," Lizzie Post, cohost of the Awesome Etiquette podcast, told us of Christmas parties back in the day. The same goes for New Year's Eve celebrations. Anyway, what better occasion is there to break out a cocktail dress or suit?

The way your grandparents commemorated the New Year might have something to do with your roots. In Scotland, New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay, as they call the last day of the year, is a bigger deal than Christmas ("Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish song, after all). The massive party goes on for days and incorporates age-old acts, such as first-footing: It's considered good luck to have a tall, dark man enter the home for the first time after midnight-bearing auspicious gifts of course (coal, shortbread, salt, and whiskey are common).

Germany has Bleigiessen, a "lead-pouring" custom, and the Irish apparently bang bread against the walls to beat off bad luck. You could also coordinate your undies to your hopes for the year (red for love, yellow for happiness, etc.)-a Latin American custom. Start calling your Christmas tree a New Year's tree, as they do in Russia, dive into icy waters like in Konstanz, Germany, or similarly, participate in a Canadian-inspired polar bear plunge.