Ever since I was little I have loved New Year’s Eve with a passion. My parents always hosted a party for our friends and family and I had full access to every kind of dip, chip, and dessert my mind could dream of. Even better, I got to stay awake until past midnight when my bedtime was usually 8:30. Never mind that I fell asleep on the couch and had to be woken up to watch the ball drop; it was still so exciting. I would accessorize my nightgowns with feather boas, plastic princess high heels, and sparkly crowns emblazoned across the front with the new year. But without a doubt, my favorite part was choosing my New Year’s resolutions.
That’s right, plural. It was an art form for me. I’d start thinking weeks ahead. Each year for the parties I would set up a folding card table with paper and markers for people to make their own lists. Sometimes there’d be a craft involved. One year my friend and I sealed our lists in envelopes and exchanged them to hold onto until the next new year. And let me tell you, these lists were creative, and lengthy. I once resolved to listen to more podcasts in Spanish (key word: more, as if I had ever listened to any). I’d start jogging, I’d learn to cook more than Kraft mac n’ cheese, I’d make my bed every day. And one year, I swear to God, I decided I would learn to identify bird calls. All I can say to that now is: ????
The biggest complaint about New Year’s resolutions is that people almost never follow through. To some degree I’d say that’s pretty accurate. I mean, tragically, I still can’t tell a sparrow from a bluebird by its call. I have yet to listen to a podcast in Spanish. I do not make my bed every day, I still hate cooking, and though I did run for about a year and a half, I’ve kind of given up on that. As Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation said:
But despite not always being the best at following through, I still think there’s something really magical (sorry for getting all corny) about the whole idea of resolutions. Maybe the new year is arbitrary, but it still presents this idea of a fresh start in the same way that the beginning of a new school year does for students. The phenomenon allows us to look at our own lives and decide what improvements we want to make. Even better, it normalizes this self-reflection. It’s okay to proclaim that you need to get in shape, because everyone else is, too! It takes out so much of the vulnerability that exists in deciding you need self-improvement.
So I think it’s kind of silly to bash New Year’s resolutions, and every year I look forward to celebrating the New Year and all the fresh starts it brings. Sure, as the haters like to say, there’s nothing keeping us from making these changes at any given time. But I think it’s pretty awesome that we can all set out to make these changes at the same time. It's like a national movement for self-improvement! And what could be better than that?
