Where does the habit of New Year resolutions come from? I mean, how many of them actually survive beyond the month of January?

The idea of turning over a new leaf, of taking down the old calendar and putting up a brand new clean and shiny one, seems to promote the idea that a new year is indeed a fresh start. But this seems purely delusional as our personal lives are driven by forces above and beyond a mere calendar, and a mere local Christian calendar at that.

For most people living in the northern hemisphere the 1st January is just as dreary and miserable as 31st December. It's cold and wet and dark for much of the day. That resolution to stop drinking (too much!) or to cut down on all that chocolate are all doomed to failure in such a climate. Where is the spring in the step of a bright new dawn? Well, we'll have to wait for spring for that!

So I think we should just abandon the hopeless promises we make to ourselves and do away with New Year resolutions. If there ever is a good time to make resolutions then perhaps the spring equinox is the best time, when people clean away the cobwebs of winter and start to feel that sunshine again.

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