Negative Nancy New Year

For the past 8 years or so, I’ve been pretty critical of New Year’s. When people ask what my plans are, I’ve been quick to respond:

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s. It’s just not my thing.

In this letter, I write to “the idea of New Year’s”, and explain my position.

Dear New Year,

Welcome back. It’s been 365 days since we last spoke.

I hope you made the best of this past year, as that is what you encourage the rest of us to do, and that’d be pretty hypocritical if you dicked around.

I’m writing you today because I have a few things to get off my chest. And if I don’t do it today, I’ll have to bury my feelings inside for another 365 days. And I just can’t handle that. A little selfish, sure, but we’ve always had an honest relationship, and I’d like to keep it that way.

I may have spread some rumors about you. I know, we’re not in middle school anymore. And they weren’t intentional. Promise. But I think people may have gotten the wrong impression. AndĀ the last thing I want to do is make you look bad.

Basically, I’ve told people that you aren’t a big deal. Not in a “you’re nothing like Ron Burgundy” kind of way. But more like, “you’re overrated.”

And that’s not true. The beef I’ve had with you was really not about you. It’s about how people have chosen to interact with you, which isn’t your fault.

  • You’re not the one getting all liquored up & making horrible decisions.
  • You’re not the one who insists on kissing someone’s face off at midnight, even if it happens to be a total stranger.
  • You’re not the one who makes all the non-drinkers of the world feel uncomfortable the entire night because they’re drinking water.
  • You’re not the one driving while intoxicated.
  • You’re not the one who fills the gym with extra bodies. Nor are you the one who quits mid-March.
  • And people use you as their excuse to party, get wasted & make bad decisions. And that’s not your fault at all.

You see, all the rumors out there about you are really about the people who have misunderstood you. Myself included.

You are a necessary & valuable part of this world

The truth is, you give us consistency. In an ever-changing, fast-paced, distraction-filled society, you remind us every so often that change is inevitable.

You don’t bother us every day, week or month (which is great, by the way, because otherwise you’d just be clingy, and no one wants that).

You let us do our own thing throughout the year. After all, we have to learn this on our own. We can’t depend on you to be there every step of the way. So when you do stop by once a year, we listen.

We know that you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care. If you didn’t matter. BecauseĀ you are a big deal.

The change you bring is ours to cultivate. To develop. It’s neither good nor bad, but it’s always necessary. It’s up to each of us, as individuals, to decide what to do with it. But if it weren’t for you, we might not even realize it was there at all.

Please accept my apology for spreading false rumors. You really are a good guy, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and the rest of the world.

A Toast

This year, I toast to you, New Year (with water, of course :-). To your consistency. To your discipline. For letting us make our own choices, and never judging. For the good change, and the bad. The misguided, misunderstood & mis-sion critical change that you bring, time and time again.

See ya next year, buddy,
(No Longer) Negative Nancy New Year