Welcome back to It’s Time to Celebrate and Happy New Year! I am returning earlier in the month than usual to focus on our celebrations of the coming year and discuss the concept of resolutions while sharing some of mine. 

Throughout the years, New Year’s has seemed to me like kind of an unnecessary holiday, even more so than Valentine’s Day, which many people see as useless. But I think I have liked New Year’s because it sort of brings Winter Break to a close, which can sometimes feel like a strange no-man’s land of a week by having so much school off, but I have never really been that motivated to celebrate. I guess what I don’t like is the idea that the new year should be so different, when really little is different between December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024. 

But maybe it’s my problem! Maybe I am not putting in the effort to make a “new year, new me,” so with that in mind, I’ll share a few things that I would like to change in 2024. 

First, I think that like almost everyone, I would like to eat better and exercise more, or really keep up my healthy practices that I have kind of let go over Winter Break. I also want to continue to put effort into my schoolwork and keep my grades up throughout the year. 

But really one of my big resolutions will be to read more. I think I am one of the worst readers ever, not necessarily compared to others, but more compared to myself. All throughout elementary and early middle school I was a great reader and went through books quickly, but as I have gotten into high school, I read less and less. My goal (which I have been working on before New Year’s) would be to read at least 10 minutes a day before I go to bed or something, but usually by the time I am done with all of my extracurriculars and homework, I have no desire to read. This is also frustrating because when I do find a good book, I know I enjoy reading but I usually just cannot be bothered. 

Now my next resolution will seem like the total opposite of what I said before, but I would like to watch more TV in 2024. I know people usually would want to say they want to start watching less TV as a resolution, but let me explain. Ever since late elementary school, I generally watch very little TV, partially because my sister and I weren’t allowed to watch a lot of what our friends were at the time, but also because I found YouTube and later other social media sites. 

While I now spend much less of my time on TikTok than I used to, which was a huge time waster and a replacement for watching movies or shows, I still watch a lot of YouTube. I think this is because it is much easier to find random videos to watch when I’m bored (or procrastinating) compared to spending the time to get into a show. I guess I’d like to find a different way to spend my downtime than scrolling around on my phone. 

Although I do not totally love celebrating the New Year, I am glad to have the opportunity to write down a few of my goals and maybe find a way to hold myself accountable. I am also happy that I have stuck with this column and I will be able to continue it into the New Year. I hope you make a resolution to come back and read what I have to say in the coming months! See you then!