Psychologists believe the drive to celebrate the New Year goes back to our survival instinct. This holiday, like a birthday, reminds us that we have lived another year, and it means that we did a good job. All these resolutions to change our lifestyle are nothing more than bringing our desire to take control of the situation to life. It doesn’t really matter whether we’ll really start running in the morning, saving money, or losing weight in the coming year because even the short moment we believe in these promises gives us a reason for joy and happiness.
Bright Side found people who refuse to participate in this tradition, and each of them has their own reason for it.
- Initially, in our family, we never celebrated the New Year — always only Christmas. Now, I live separately, but we still only focus on Christmas. Why? Everything goes on sale after Christmas — absolutely everything that wasn’t on sale before the holiday.
- It’s been 2 years now that I haven’t celebrated Christmas or the New Year. Last year, I spent both of them at home with my mother. She was on her bed and I was on the sofa. Both reading. It was nice. Last year, I moved to Greece. For New Year’s Eve, I had a choice between going to some club or staying at home with my roommates who were already celebrating. I stayed at home. Got under my blankets, was reading, sipping tea, and watching a TV series. One of my roommates asked me why I acted like this because I made them feel uncomfortable. I don’t understand why people need to feel bad because I don’t celebrate this holiday. © Mika Takahashi / quora
- I haven’t liked the New Year for the last 5 years. I just want to sit at home, watch movies, and eat pizza. Alone. I don’t like how that one night is cracked up to be something extremely exciting and how everyone has a lot of expectations. I love partying and going out, but all the buzz around this event drives me crazy. However, I always end up partying with my friends, and I always get disappointed. © ***-a-gogo / reddit
- When I was 18 years old, I loved the New Year. I really wanted to hang out and meet girls. Then I got married and celebrated this holiday at home and not at parties with friends. Then I got divorced and lost all my passion for this holiday. Going out was just spending a lot of money and time. All I began to want after 50 years was to sleep. Now I’m 60 and for me, the New Year is just another night. © Jesse Spangler / quora
- The New Year isn’t interesting to me anymore. Back in my childhood, I would spend hours choosing greeting cards and it made me happy. When I began drawing them myself and this process also made me happy. Then I used Photoshop to design customized greeting cards and yes, I was happy too. Then SMS, Instagram, Facebook, and other social networks appeared. So personalized texts disappeared and bulk forwards stayed around. This doesn’t make me happy at all. It killed a part of my childhood. © Amitdyuti / quora
- I don’t want to get involved in a group craze about a change of date. It doesn’t seem to me that this night is anything different from the rest of the year, and therefore, it is foolish to honor it separately. © Katerina Ogneva / “Yandex. Kew”
- I hate the New Year. And it’s all because of my ex-husband. Last New Year, we were supposed to get together with family and his friends. I cooked and cleaned all day. I asked him for help but didn’t get it. In the end, we had a fight, and with a clear conscience, he left the house at about 7-8 p.m. So our daughter and I celebrated the New Year alone. I had tears in my eyes. And the most offensive thing was that he didn’t even call or text me. © unknown author / ideer
- This is the most annoying holiday among all of them, but I am still thankful for it because I have the day off. The fireworks make all the dogs in the neighborhood go crazy. And all these New Year’s resolutions from people who want to change their lives. They post on Facebook that they will start doing something and then they invade the gym for 2–3 weeks before giving up. And this happens every year. © Sean Kernan / quora
- Why did I stop loving the New Year? The reason is very simple. I noticed one pattern — the closer December 31st gets, the more welcoming and nicer people become. To the point that they behave sickeningly sweet. So you were rude during the whole year, but before the New Year, you wish everyone well. And this happens in many countries. © faktor2 / pikabu
- My plan for the New Year is to go to bed at 10 p.m. as usual. My days of staying up late just to watch a date change on a calendar ended when I had kids. I only actually celebrated the New Year once. It was in 1999. I was in college then, and some college friends and I went to the pier — it was crowded, cold, and very expensive. I’d rather be in the comfort of my own home. To be more specific, I’d rather be in the comfort of my own bed. © Matthew Bates / quora
- My husband always prepares for this holiday like he’s obsessed. In my youth, I went with him to celebrate it with different groups of friends. I was just waiting for the morning to come. We’ve been only celebrating this holiday together for 15 years. But he makes me cook and buy so much stuff! I would be happy with just tangerines and delicious sweets to celebrate the New Year. Although, I am ready to decorate the Christmas tree and the apartment with different fairy lights. © Irina Levina-Harutyunyan / facebook
- My family and I celebrate Christmas not the New Year. Usually, for us, this is a tradition, an excuse for everyone to get together, but this year I realized that I have no desire to do this at all. At Christmas, there is always a hustle, preparing mountains of food, wrapping gifts, and everyone is just rushing around. It is impossible to communicate properly with relatives, because everyone is in a hurry, makes noise, and sometimes even fights. And I realized that this family tradition turned into a joyless obligation for me. That’s why I decided that it would be much better for me to come after the holidays, when everyone has already left and only my parents are at home. It’s more pleasant for me to be with them, and we have more opportunities to communicate normally.
- In 2009, for the first time in 30 years, I had to celebrate the New Year at home because I got a little sick. Fruits, chocolate, my sofa, pajamas, and TV. I congratulated everyone on the phone and everyone congratulated me. I liked it so much that in the following years, I consciously didn’t go anywhere.© Olive Bor / facebook
- I am also beginning to dislike this holiday. It’s connected to my husband’s attitude toward the New Year. To be more precise, he doesn’t care about it at all. In the early years of my marriage, out of habit, I thought about what to cook and what to buy, until he dumbfounded me with the fact that he wouldn’t eat anything anyway after 12 a.m. This thought somehow stuck in my head. Last time, I cooked nothing, except for duck and a salad. There is no one who’d eat it anyway. Our budget is tight. © patapoo / pikabu
- I don’t believe in magic anymore — wishes never come true, nothing changes, except for the date. I used to bother with a new outfit, dishes, gifts, and I was afraid that I wouldn’t have time to decorate the Christmas tree. In the last few years, there has been no snow, and the winter is warm. This also affects the lack of a good mood for New Year’s for me. In general, for me, it has become a routine formality. And in general, the New Year is more of a children’s holiday. © red \\ maris / “Yandex. Kew”
- I’ve never been to a huge New Year’s party. I am an introvert, and the idea of going to a place with huge amounts of people sounds exhausting. One year, my best friend and I just hung out at her house talking and watching a movie. Another year, my mom and I had a Grey’s Anatomy marathon and we watched the whole first season and didn’t go to sleep until 4 a.m. My husband categorically refuses to go to bed until midnight, so I just text with my friends or watch a movie. © Mia House / quora
How will you celebrate the upcoming New Year’s Eve?
