What's with the New Year?

So yeah, happy New Year to you all, and I guess 2013 is pretty special, because the Mayans weren’t anticipating that we’d get this far (cheers all!). But now the pleasantries have been exchanged, let me ask you this simple question (I’m a very inquisitive person after all), what IS it about New Year that excites us so much?

Okay, we usually get a day off on the first, and who wouldn’t like to celebrate a nice chilly winter morning by lazing around in their bed? And although there’s no harm in hoping that we’ll have a nice(r) year this time around, but seriously, there are some things about a New Year that I simply don’t get.

The biggest one is New Year resolutions. The way I see it, it’s just a reason for people to keep procrastinating. Okay, its good that you decided to start living a healthy lifestyle from first of January, but more or less, you're going to stuff yourself bad right upto the first. And we all are glad that you decided to quit smoking on the New Year, but you also need to watch the sudden spike in your smoking frequency until the New Year approaches. And isn’t it rather stupid, not to mention a bit sad, that we resolve to turn our lives around the next year. I mean, what’s wrong in doing that from right now, right from today (okay, it IS the first of Jan today, but you get the point!). And anyways, unless you are blessed with exceptionally good will power, chances are you won’t be able to cope up with such a sudden change in your lifestyle. You have to ease into it, gradually. And there’s no time or age to learn something new, so you don’t really have to wait until the next year for that.

The second thing I can’t understand is social protocols. Okay, if someone wishes me a happy new year, politeness dictates that I wish him or her too. And in a way, New Year greetings are a good way to catch up with old friends. But it’s really strange that I have to wish my every acquaintance a happy new year. Dude! I’m human, I forgot. And we didn’t really talk. Like ever. So why do I need to wish you? And it’s hilarious that some people don’t even wish each other on the 31^st or the 1^st as the call rates and message rates are higher on those 2 days. So basically, aren’t we greeting each other for the heck of it? We can’t even spend a few pennies on a phone call?

And finally, why does everyone tend to diss the year that’s about to leave? I mean, it couldn’t have been THAT bad, right? So don’t just focus on the bad and stop saying “good riddance” to the old year and assuming the next one’s going to be grand… That’s putting a whole lot of pressure on something that hasn’t even begun properly yet. Be optimistic, but at the same time, a little realism won’t hurt either.

In short, the clock striking midnight is not some a magical spell which would restart everything wonderful and happy. Chances are, you WILL have things that are hard to deal with and you will DEFINITELY have wonderful things happen to you, things that make you smile. Regardless, don’t tip the scale at the end of the year and I hope 2013 is a memorable one for you!