I have never gotten the appeal, much less the need, to celebrate Nes Years or make short lived revelations (I’m gonna lose this belly that grew over the past three months). The last New Hears worth celebrating was 2000. It was a historical moment for anyone who was alive, a turn of the century. It is rare a true New Years celebration is ever called for. I treat it as just another day, the last one or two numbers changing in the year. If you celebrate Nea Years, why?
Any reason to party, have a good time, and enjoy time with family and/or friends is a good reason. I put New Years in the category of religion in this way.....They are totally unnecessary, but some people find happiness, quality family time, accomplish goals (resolutions), and other helpful things. For this I say party it up responsibly!
Why not? If you want to put effort into not celebrating go for it. The misses and I will be camping on the rim of the Royal Gorge.....getting all liquored up riding a ATV naked and wearing flip flops with a cowboy hat to match and once again making headlines in the local paper. Youth.......they do not know how to party.
It's a good time to reflect on the last year, and look forward to the next year. Most cultures have some kind of New Year's celebration.
Just another mindless and meaningless ritual in my book. A date on a calendar. One day it's 31 Dec, the next it's 1 Jan, and the day after it's 2 Jan - so?
The vast majority of humans celebrate New Years. Out with the old, in with the new. Reflect on the past year, remember those no longer with us and celebrate hope and success for the coming year. An ages old ritual and a very human experience. We still celebrate ringing in the New Year but in a wee bit quieter fashion than the younger set. We don't always make it to midnight, we're getting on in years LOL...... Happy New Year everyone! I hope it's a great year for all of you!
The US is a free country so we are free to celebrate the New Year or not. Your country may be different.
New Years is one of the most depressing holidays. You think of what you haven’t gotten done, you think of how your plans for the year prior were nothing short of lying to yourself, and hope the next year won’t be a lie. New Years is a joke. Human civilization flipping out over the flipping g of a calendar.
Having been pessimistic most of my life and only recently started to move toward the optimistic side, yes, it's lying to yourself, but life is a lot better when you're optimistic simply because even when things go badly, as they always do, you recover faster. You say, "Well, maybe tomorrow will be better." Maybe it won't, but being optimistic is still a better way to live. So cheer up, and lie to yourself about what you're going to accomplish for one more year, anyway. Me, I'm going to get rich, get married, and rule the planet.
Pastor Charles Swindoll wrote a great piece about attitude: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes."
The new century did not actually turn until 2001. Scare tactics and preparation for Y2K made it more significant than it was and we all forgot that there was no year zero. So, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0, makes ten, times one hundred equals one thousand. The new millennium started a year later. When you get to a certain age or mental maturity and physical maturity, you realize nothing is going to change overnight and most things won't change enough to make a significant difference. Wishes, food, and drinks won't change that. It is a good reason to celebrate making it through another full calendar year of life. That is an accomplishment today, particularly if you still have friends who care.
I look forward to New Years as it is a time I am motivated and excited to make small but meaningful changes for the upcoming year. I do write them down in a handmade mini book my daughter made me, and I have an ongoing record. I keep them easily attainable. For example I forget Birthdays...or frankly, I don't forget but have trouble making the time to shop a card and send on time. No one expected a card from me on their birthday.... Two years ago I decided to change that and on December 31 I bought a beautiful stationary box, and I proceeded to purchase every card for every family member ahead of time, along with stamps and list of names with birthdates. With everything at my fingertips I haven't missed a birthday since. Losing belly fat is too hard.....I d never make that a resolution.
We are having family together serving grilled yellow fin with grilled pineapple salsa, Alaska king crab legs, garlic butter, and home brewed beer and cider. It’s a good excuse for a family get together. We won’t stay up to ring it in but we will damn sure make tomorrow productive. Tidying up chores and all.
My guess is that it makes folks feel good.Like the way J.F.K went to Russia in his attempt to talk with Nikita Khrushchev a known world-class ballbuster.Bald ta boot. J.F.K. { The most,by far, Horniest President } took along his own Dr.Feelgood { plied with feelgood shots }. That's what New Years is all about.To Feelgood. It has no real value other than to let loose and celebrate. I heard a Guy on Breitbart Radio yesterday { A London Reporter } explain that if someone goes out to celebrate New years eve and they aren't in college it's silly. Meaning it's like a Frat Party. I don't disagree.
I would agree and disagree... yes, it's our attitude that determines how we react to a lot of what happens, but a lot of our attitude is also predetermined, by our genes and our upbringing. Genes determine how innately happy or sad you are (some people are just happy regardless of circumstances, even if they have a tough life) and upbringing determines whether you feel loved or unloved, secure or abandoned, safe or unsafe, and those all determine much of your attitude as well. Only the edges of your attitude are within the "I choose" range. But with enough work on it, you can increase the size of that range. So I keep working on it.
Some mental illnesses are genetically based. Obviously people have different dispositions, but I don't know how much of that is nature and how much is nurture. Do you have a link to your comment that most of our attitude is genetics?
It's nothing more nor less than a measure of time; if good or bad things are gonna happen during it then they will, and wishing for someone that they will, or that they won't, is totally meaningless ritual.
Not to disappoint you but the previous century ended 01.01.2001, not 01.01.2000. New Years? It's a moment of evaluation. I had a friend who shot himself on NYE, may he find and rest in peace. So, it's a two way street. Happy New Year
Because it's fun... the anticipation... what's more fun than going 10.... 9.... 8.........Happy New Year!!! Couple of years ago I took my kids to Sun City in South Africa, we were swimming in the wave pool at the Lost City. It was on the 31st of December and the crowd was so spontaneous, they counted down almost every wave Huge fun...the anticipation over and over We had a great time.
what did you do to it? I generally don't get on with people who don't have a fun gene... yours must be in there hiding
Sure, there is plenty of research on the subject, though they always say there's more to be studied: https://www.livescience.com/46877-denmark-happiness-genetics.html
I must be the exception to the rule then 'cos I've never had one. When my son suggests to his kids 'Shall we go and see Grandad today, they say 'Oh no, do we have to?'