IT’S NOT ALWAYS SUNNY
The time for the obligatory “My resolution for 2025 is …” has come. And while it is indeed the new year, it has not felt like a new year until probably Monday, Jan. 6.
Why? Well, I think it’s just the timing of everything and how the cards fell.
The holiday season came and went quickly like it does every year, but not without the joyous and unforgettable moments. And this time around, my husband and I were filled with even more gratitude that we did not have to drive six hours back home the next day.
The shopping trips were just as pleasant as — despite some of the endless scrolling and moving things into my online cart — I opted to still do some of my searching for the perfect Christmas gifts in-store.
The laughter still echoed across the table, after we enjoyed a delicious dinner for Christmas and New Year’s alike, when we sat down to play board games until we were too tired to function. That is, unless you are my dad, who is still in denial that he falls asleep in the middle of any game we put in front of him.
Our eyes were still glued to the TV as we watched the classic holiday movies that were instilled into our traditions as children — 'The Santa Clause' (preferably the first and second of the franchise), 'Christmas with the Kranks,' 'White Christmas,' 'Elf' and 'Home Alone,' to name a few. We all sprawled across our parents’ living rooms, even if it was finding the last inch of the rug on the floor just to be part of the screening.
Weekends on the calendar were booked up solid with Christmas and New Year’s parties and get-togethers. We were blessed to be able to spend good, quality time with both sides of our family — something that I long for and look forward to every year.
And the clock struck midnight. It was now 2025.
We were slowly starting to pack up from spending a few hours at my husband’s aunt and uncle’s house, who have been the consistent hosts for the NYE celebration. With sleepy eyes and all, we all cheer “Happy New Year” across the room and then eventually part ways, after we muster enough energy, if we can, to make the drive home.
Because Jan. 1 fell on a Wednesday, smack dab in the middle of the week, it honestly did not feel like it was time for a new year already. Maybe it was also because I did not go to bed until 2-3 a.m. that morning — something completely out of the ordinary on the other 364 days of the year.
I feel like I have never given it this much thought before now, but as I see it, the new year starts on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Monday is the start of the week, so it can work for this, too, right? I might sound completely out of my mind, but in terms of me doing anything different than what I did in 2024, that all starts at the onset of a new week.
Looking forward to the rest of this year, my resolution for 2025 is that I am going to do my best to be more patient with myself. If I do something wrong or make a mistake, I need to learn the art of giving myself some grace.
Alternatively, my word for 2025 is mindfulness, which is, according to the American Psychological Association, is the awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings; it can help people avoid destructive or automatic habits and responses by learning to observe their thoughts, emotions and other present-moment experiences without judging or reacting to them.
To me, that basically means staying in the moment and not solely looking to the future, worrying about what may happen, a problem that I have for years, but that’s a column for another time.
If you have made it this far listening to my rant of the timing of New Year’s Eve and Day, thank you. Here’s to starting a new week (and year) with patience, gratitude and mindful decisions!
Navarro is the editor of the Hays Free Press/ News-Dispatch. She can be reached by emailing [email protected].
