It’s the night before New Year’s Eve. I have been cooking and baking all day (cranberry cream cheese pound cake, cranberry bliss cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, cherry cheese danish (epic fail – see below), kale soup, jerk chicken marinade – none of which was dinner for tonight) and needless to say, I am officially tuckered out. I can say, I am officially about 80% of the way prepared for tomorrow for our holiday brunch cookie swap in the morning with Steve’s family then working on the farm and dinner with friends in the evening; it is a full packed day – just like any other it seems lately. BUT, I have begun to think more and more about the new year… We’ve always been taught to make a New Year’s Resolution. Generally, it is along the lines of: eat healthier, workout more, get organized, etc. You get the picture. And while, yes, I would love to accomplish all of the above and so much more, why is it that we must create these ‘resolutions’ at the beginning of the year? And more times than not, they revolve around our physical appearance. While being healthy is important, you shouldn’t let any media pressure you into becoming a certain why. DO YOU. To take a step back, I did a little research as to where new year’s resolutions came from and why they are such a big part of our culture. Here are some fun facts for you: The earliest new year’s celebration on record dates back over 4,000 years to ancient Babylon where a massive festival called Akitu was held to bring in the new year, which involved different rituals over 11 days During this festival, a new king was crowned or the current king’s divine mandate was renewed! They made resolutions or ‘promises’ to the gods in order to start the new year fresh (i/e pay off debts, etc.) Traditional food usually includes legumes as they are thought to resemble coins (think $$$ success in the new year) or a ring shaped cake/pastry (coming full circle) In Lebanon, Pennsylvania, residents drop bologna at midnight whereas in Spain, locals will eat 12 grapes in the 12 seconds prior to midnight. The Times Square Ball drop resulted from a ban on fireworks – 1st drop was in 1907 weighing in at about 700lbs where it now weighs close to 12,000lbs! It has dropped every year since inception except 1942 and 1943 due to WWII When the clock strikes midnight, where are you going to be this year? Any fun traditions or interesting resolutions you plan on making? This year, like every other year, I make the generic resolutions of: get in better shape, stay organized (Steve likes to say, if my head wasn’t attached to my body, I would probably lose it) and maintain financial responsibility (boring, I know). Just remember, don’t make a resolution just to make one because you feel obligated. Take this time to reflect on how 2016 went and what you want to change – for you! Here are a few more unique things that I plan on trying to keep this year: Develop a good relationship with my body (it’s been through a lot in the last 16 months) Dedicate time to blogging and developing new crafts and recipes to share with you all Appreciate the now and worry less about the future Get more involved – at work, at the farm, with friends and even try to volunteer more Work on crossing things of the bucket list! As promised, my epic fail of the Christmas Cherry Cheese Danish for cookie swap (I clearly didn’t make the crevices big enough for the filling):