I was going to wait until the new year for my next article but since I’m on vacation this week, I figured why not post one more?
When I was younger, NYE was a pretty big deal. There was always a party to go to or a club holding an event. Usually an overpriced event, but we were young and frivolous, so we didn’t care. Most times someone we knew was throwing a party and other times we’d head to downtown Cincinnati and go to one of the many bars that were throwing some sort of shindig. Some years, we’d do both. During NYE 1999, I had friends who refused to leave the house for fear that the “end was nigh” and society would collapse at the stroke of midnight due to Y2K. That year, I and some other friends went to a club and it was packed surprisingly enough.
These days, things are different when it comes to NYE celebrations.
Being an older couple, my wife and I don’t do much for New Year's Eve. For the first couple of years of our marriage, we went to a few low-key parties to ring in the new year but, as time passed, we became more content to just stay home and avoid the hassle. These days we’ll sit around and either binge-watch a series or watch a few movies. One year, I think it was 2020 into 2021, we even rang in the New Year on our Animal Crossing game (they have a countdown and fireworks at midnight). Yeah, it sounds pretty lame, but we actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
Regardless of what we’re doing though, we always flip over to watch the ball drop at Times Square and get that midnight kiss, lamenting the state the modern “New Year’s Eve” show has become. Oh well, at least we had Dick Clark for a while. <cue up Streisand’s Memories. On second thought, don’t>
In my last post, I talked a bit about our Christmas traditions.
As far as any New Year’s traditions go, the only thing we do is something my mother-in-law used to swear by for a prosperous new year. I guess it’s become our New Year’s Eve tradition. You had to have a sub sandwich (why it had to be a sub sandwich, we never found out) in one hand and money in the other when the clock struck midnight. So, every year we have Jersey Mike’s (we’re big Jersey Mike’s fans) subs in one hand and a dollar bill in the other as the clock strikes twelve.
Does it work? While not scientific, we seem to have done better each year so there may be something to it. Hey, any excuse to have a sub is o.k. with me! :)
A lot of people ask about new year’s “resolutions” and my reply is that I stopped trying to do “resolutions” years ago. These days I do goals. To me, a resolution is something firm (resolute) in your mind that you are determined to do. I learned a long time ago that I don’t have that type of long-range determination, so I decided to deal with something a bit more flexible…like goals.
Above is what I wrote down as my goals for 2022 and here’s the end tally:
Read 5 Books: Nope. I started three but didn’t finish. Technically, I started two (Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler, and Jabin Kainos and the Manifest Chronicles by my Twitter pal Vince Mancuso) and the third was my annual re-read of Stephen King’s On Writing. As of this writing, I still have a couple of days to finish at least one of them! I probably won’t, though, to be honest.
Finish My Vella Novel: I’m proud to say that I completed The T.E.M.P Agency back in September via the Kindle Vella format. A story 11 years in the making, no less. Of course, I also started two new stories which, hopefully, won’t take me as long to complete.
Be More Active on Substack: Averaging about four posts per month this year as opposed to only six total in 2021, I’d say that goal was met.
Walk or Lift at Least 3 Times a Week: While I could be optimistic and say I “sort of” met this goal as I at least walked, except for the past two months, I’m going to take the “L” on this one and try to do better. I have zero excuses for not being more active and I need to own up to that. Hopefully, in 2023 I will be better with this.
Continue Journaling: Dragging myself kicking and screaming, I did meet this goal. This will also be a 2023 goal (with a few tweaks).
Decrease Sugar Intake: I would say...”maybe?” I have been putting less sugar in my coffee and have cut back on sweets. This one is hard to gauge, but it’s one I always try to keep in mind.
Listen More / Think More Before Speaking: Not sure, but the effort has been there at least.
Be A Better Person: While I think steps have been taken to achieve this, it’s always a tough one and nebulous enough to probably never achieve. I would give this one a “work in progress” rating as I do every other year.
I think for 2023 I will set fewer goals and try to make them more achievable. Maybe two books instead of five, things like that. For my January / birthday post, I will probably touch on this as I plan to make it my first journal entry.
What traditions (if any) do you observe for New Year’s Eve? Any resolutions or goals you’re looking to meet for 2023?
Let me know down below and I want to wish you all a very safe and Happy New Year!
Great post - thanks, Mark! Well done on all of your accomplishments - fabulous work!
I don't make resolutions, but I take care of my intentions and goals as I go thanks to my journalling practice. It's liberating and unthreatening, and provides me with the comfort of not failing at something massive. (However modest, in my experience my NYRs elevate themselves to something massive just by giving them that NYR label!)
I resolved in summer 2019 to cook a roast every weekend to practise for Christmas that year, and that was fabulous. We've been having our 'Sunday roast' every Saturday night ever since. I resolved on Christmas Eve 2019 to read for pleasure every single day, which I hadn't done for YEARS, and I've kept that up. Those two things have brought me so much pleasure, and they've been very doable because they're part of my routine. There are plenty of other things which in the past I'd've labelled 'NYR' and failed at, but because they're part of my everyday journalling and life-management (!) practice, they're very achievable.
But NY resolutions? No thanks!
This NYE will be no different to our last many. A glass of Prosecco, a delicious meal, something good on the telly and to bed at bedtime. Yup, before midnight! JUST the way we like it! 🤣
Happy New Year Mark!
Although I didn't have a goal, I read 4 1/2 books this year. The 1/2 book was the biography of James Patterson. I ran out of time, so I'll have to get the book out of the library again. You always think you have time and then you don't. :)
As far as your sugar intake, I always watch that but now I've broken that rule. Since I'm working now and my job is very fast paced, I need a soda with sugar to get me through the day. I get a free meal and water just wasn't cutting it.
It seems walking should be easy but we all procrastinate, either it's too hot or too cold.
I used to stay up all night for the ball drop on ABC. The last few years I have not. I'm way too tired to stay up for it now. I do record the event so I can watch it the next day. I don't watch the whole thing. I just fast forward to the ball drop and I'm done with it.