No, it's not the worldwide acceptance of public drunkenness, nor the hilarity of watching everyone trying to sing, "Auld Lang Syne" (as if they actually know the lyrics!) that endears me to my favorite holiday, New Years. I look forward to this worldwide clean-slate celebration for two reasons: One, the major lack of commercialism (when compared to it's sister holiday: Christmas), and two, I love the general feeling of hope that lingers in the air for little more than a week after everyone has gotten up off the bathroom floor, and finished regurgitating all 20 New Years Eve Jell-O shots.
For the first half of January, everyone you meet it out to change their lives for the better, and everyone around them is encouraging and understanding. Our daily vocabulary expands with phrases like, "Good for you!" and, "You can do it!" The co-workers that were chain smoking in-between appetizers, and singing off key to, "Play that Funky Music White Boy," just 2 weeks ago at the office Christmas party, are now passing you at the water cooler with rice cakes, Diet soda, and a nicotine patch. Now, what other holiday but New Years could evoke such a drastic character metamorphosis in the people around us?!
We all know of course, that the average American can only keep this facade up for about 10 days before we go back to reality. We will then spend the rest of our year feeling guilty and disappointed. Which in turn makes us comfort ourselves by major over-indulgences of the very thing we resolved to conquer (for me, it has always been some form of chocolate, and copious amounts of Diet Coke). But nonetheless, we manage to dust ourselves off a mere 11 and a half months later and make a new (or the same) resolution; convinced that this year will be the year. Which brings me back to why I love this holiday so much. Hope. Why do we think we can overcome our lazy human nature just 355 days after we have proven to ourselves how fleeting our motivation really is? The only possible answer is hope.
I am so fond of this holiday that I have decided to spend the rest of my earthly years creating resolutions for myself whenever the need for a resolution arises, instead of waiting for January 1st. I have also decided to blog about my successes and failures for the enjoyment of anyone who stumbles upon my blog.
For the first half of January, everyone you meet it out to change their lives for the better, and everyone around them is encouraging and understanding. Our daily vocabulary expands with phrases like, "Good for you!" and, "You can do it!" The co-workers that were chain smoking in-between appetizers, and singing off key to, "Play that Funky Music White Boy," just 2 weeks ago at the office Christmas party, are now passing you at the water cooler with rice cakes, Diet soda, and a nicotine patch. Now, what other holiday but New Years could evoke such a drastic character metamorphosis in the people around us?!
We all know of course, that the average American can only keep this facade up for about 10 days before we go back to reality. We will then spend the rest of our year feeling guilty and disappointed. Which in turn makes us comfort ourselves by major over-indulgences of the very thing we resolved to conquer (for me, it has always been some form of chocolate, and copious amounts of Diet Coke). But nonetheless, we manage to dust ourselves off a mere 11 and a half months later and make a new (or the same) resolution; convinced that this year will be the year. Which brings me back to why I love this holiday so much. Hope. Why do we think we can overcome our lazy human nature just 355 days after we have proven to ourselves how fleeting our motivation really is? The only possible answer is hope.
I am so fond of this holiday that I have decided to spend the rest of my earthly years creating resolutions for myself whenever the need for a resolution arises, instead of waiting for January 1st. I have also decided to blog about my successes and failures for the enjoyment of anyone who stumbles upon my blog.
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