As the world rings in a new year, I bring you this episode originally released on New Year’s Day 2017 for a look back on early American traditions with a focus on a New Year’s tradition from days gone by: the Presidential New Year’s Day Reception. From the very beginning to the last one in the 20th century, I examine how different presidents both before and after Harrison approached the event and what it meant for a nation working to develop its own identity after independence. For source notes and additional information, please visit http://whhpodcast.blubrry.com. Featured image: The White House, c. 1846, by John Plumbe Jr, courtesy of the Library of Congress and Wikipedia