I am not too fussed about New Year’s Eve Resolutions. I absolutely do make them, but I am not maniacal about them. I think they should be fun and whimsical, perhaps even “tongue-in-cheek”— like today’s Thought and Prayer aims to be.
The way I see it, although New Year’s Eve Resolutions (NYERs) often hint at larger, more life-changing intentions, they are, at best, just good-hearted promises to ourselves. They certainly shouldn’t require us to promptly swap our silver-sequined party dress for a hairshirt of punishment and self-recrimination!

Sometimes, if things go well, by late February, an ongoing NYER will actually become a habit that sticks. And so, it is possible that a single resolution could have a lasting effect on the way you live your life from henceforth. But it shouldn’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t. I repeat, if your resolution goes bust, it’s not the end of the world (unless of course, it’s your resolve to eliminate single-use plastic; failure there actually is going to result in planet destruction).

What I find curious (along with questions about what happens to all the confetti in Times Square and why does champagne taste better the older you get) is that there exists “resolution deniers” who go out of their way to pooh-pooh the practice at the slightest invitation. Why do people make a point of nay-saying all the happy new year yay-saying? By way of making pleasant conversation in those awkward minutes after the ball has dropped, you might inadvertently ask an NYER denier, “are you making any new year’s resolutions?” and find yourself on the listening end of a serious anti-resolution statement.

If you are one of those people who are busting to tell others why resolutions are a ridiculous custom, you may want to stop reading right now. On the other hand, if you’re someone who thinks NYERs represent a solemn and sacred tradition not to be taken lightly, you also might may want to stop reading.
Or y’all should keep reading and tell me that I’m mistaken. I resolved this year to be more gracious when people disagree with me (though I don’t see it coming up that often).

You will find resolution deniers generally fall into two camps. First, there are those who will claim they don’t make resolutions because they aren’t successful in keeping them, their resolve fails, and they are disappointed in themselves. Welcome to life, friend! If there was ever an argument to never get out of bed in the morning, that’s it. If we all based our hopes and aims on our perceived success rate or the duration of our resolve, well, wouldn’t we all just stop trying to achieve anything?! Resolutions are not binding promises. An unachieved resolution is not the measure of your worth. And they are not one-shot deals. You can dig in and resolve again (er, “re-resolve”?), if you falter and lapse. That’s why they are called “resolutions”, not “accomplishments.” If at first you don’t succeed … try again later (unless it’s the aforementioned single-use plastic ban; you should start that right now without fail).

And this brings us to the other perennial argument offered by resolution deniers: “I don’t make New Year’s Eve resolutions, because I strive to improve myself every day of every month all year long.” First of all, calm down, Saint Pietistic. Second, where’s the logic behind this? It’s not an “either/or proposition”; it’s a “both/and opportunity.” (Oh bother, I also resolved to stop using annoying corporate jargon like that. Seems like I can’t move the needle on that one, so let’s put a pin in it until I can circle back and punt or pivot on that particular pain point.)

Where was I? Oh, yes, the school of thought that those of us making resolutions on December 31st are therefore disqualified from any other good intentions or hope of self-improvement beyond our midnight, ball-drop proclamations. No one said that making a resolution at the end of the year precludes making resolutions for oneself at the beginning of the next year, or the next month, or even the next week. (Is there an official NYERs rulebook? I don’t think so. I, for instance, am a bundle of new resolve at the start of every work week!) It would be a very different society if we had to live by the one or two resolutions we make on New Year’ Eve and never commit to any other goals for the next 364 days. For one thing the gyms would be packed year-round, and also Lenten observances would be problematic.

And who says resolutions have to be about self-improvement anyway?! If you’re a flawlessly self-actualized human being and/or a perpetually self-perfecting adult, well, first of all, awesome, and can you teach me how to do that? And second, maybe on New Year’s Eve you could have resolved to make a difference to someone or something else this year. (There’s still that aforementioned single-use plastic issue that needs some attention.)

Did I say I don’t get too fussed about New Year’s Eve Resolutions? Well, maybe I do. I just wonder when they stopped being fun and, for some people, have become as consequential as a moon-shot miracle cure.

The truth is, I haven’t actually made a 2025 resolution yet. I’m saving my goal-setting until Epiphany Sunday. This gives me a chance to reflect on the past year and truly consider what I am hoping for in the upcoming year.  (It’s also permits me another week of mindless calorie consumption in the form of leftover Christmas cookies and cranberry-themed cocktails.)

Whatever you decide or don’t decide with respect to when to make resolutions, try imagining something that is joyful to you. It doesn’t have to be punishing (like learning all 100 tai chi postures before Easter or clocking 20K steps before lunch tomorrow), and it’s not wrong if you choose something that is unimportant to the larger world (baking the perfect French macaron or dusting the living room more that twice a year).

One of my go-to Bible passages is from the book by the minor prophet Haggai. You’ll find a print out of it (the verse, that is, not the whole book) on the bulletin board in my office. Chapter 1:5. Yes, just the one verse. It’s particularly fitting for this time of year. It goes like this in the New International Version:

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.

Verse 6 that follows is a set of existential statements, but (with apologies to the prophet), I like to put it in the form of questions:

Have you planted much, but harvested little? Do you eat, but never have enough? Do you drink, but never have your fill? Do you put on clothes, but are not warm? Do you earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it?”

“Give careful thought to your ways.” Succinct as it is, that’s some pretty sound and comprehensive soul-searching. Consider your ways. Your priorities—whatever they are—affect the fruit of your life. Your life is what you make it, whether expressed in NYERs or not. Every day is full of important moments and decisions. Be in them.

Happy New Year!

 

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, teach me to consider my ways,
Turn my heart to Your will and purposes,
That I may resolve to build a life to Your glory. Amen.

Here we are, it is December 26^th and in our secular world Christmas is over.  People have dismantled their trees and the live trees, now barren of ornaments and lights, lie out by the curb waiting for the tree chipper to roll down the street.  Gifts have been opened, boxes have been flattened and lights have been unplugged.  Stores have removed Christmas merchandise from their shelves and have either boxed it up to sell next year or relegated it to an end cap with a big 50% off sign above it.

But Christmas is not over; it has just begun!

I recently read an article by Tai French on the Anglican Compass web side.  The following summarizes what I read.  Did you know that the song “12 days of Christmas” actually starts with Christmas Day (Dec. 25) being the first day, December 26 is the second day. And so on, until the twelfth day of Christmas on January 5, followed by the feast of the Epiphany on January 6!

As early as 567 A., the church began formally setting aside the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as both a sacred and festive season with Advent being a special time of fasting in preparation of the feast.

The observation of a prolonged festive Christmas celebration continued throughout the middle ages and the early modern era. However, at least in America, it has all but faded away in a blur of post-Christmas shopping, gift returning, and diet and/or exercise resolution planning.

In the book A Thrill of Hope: Celebrating Advent at Home, Ashley Wallace writes “In the world in which we live, we are given no time to prepare for the birth of Our Lord and Saviour and then no time to celebrate it once we get there.”  So, having prepared, let’s rejoice! Let’s take time to enjoy the season.

Let’s take time to enjoy the season after all of the holiday-related busyness. Let’s throw open the doors of hospitality to  welcome in Our Saviour but also the stranger.  Let’s sing out our joy and keep Christmas in our hearts not just until Epiphany but all year long.

Prayer:
Lord God, let me never forget all that you do for me on a daily basis. Sustain me with the hope of my salvation and the other countless blessings you provide with your continuous presence in my life. Lead me to live my life in testimony to your incredible blessings, that your love may be known and experienced by all those I serve, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
—Author Unknown