Folk Culture Holiday Analysis: Thoughts on the New Years event. (Incomplete)

I would like to discuss what is possibly one of the more universal holidays among people that live in the United States: new years eve and morning. Of course, this event has becomes a treat for the media, as it is now widely publicized i.e. things like
the dropping of the ball at midnight on the 31st in Times Square, New York City. The most popular part of this holiday that I see in folk culture is the creating of goals for ones self in the New Year called “New Years resolutions”. (“New Year” is automatically capitalized in word, I found that mildly interesting) Portrayed in popular culture, but probably most prominent in folk, New Years resolutions are to inspire change for the better in the way a person lives their lives. In other words a New Years resolution supposedly exists so that a person can try to make their lives more meaningful through one means or another.

When looking at only this aspect of the holiday, it seems that it has a lot of potential to be meaningful. Goal setting and attempts to improve ones self, however that may be seems like a great thing. And part of the reason it isn’t easy to undercut the good aspects of this holiday is because personal goals aren’t clearly tainted with bullshit.

Another mainstream aspect of this holiday, very prominently among youth today, is the consumption of alcohol on New Years Eve. It seems to in many cases once again, 'simply what you do' on New Years Eve. One must drink alcohol at a social gathering. In my experience, it’s widely considered strange if you’re alone and/or not having a good time with alcohol on New Years Eve. Similarly to Saint Patrick’s Day, alcohol, to many has become the primary focus of this holiday. The more f*cked up you get, the better your stories and the better one could say their New Years was. I am only speaking from the way I see it in my own subculture, but this way of thought seems to be in the media here and there.

I theorize that people’s view of New Years was once more focused around the social aspect of being with the people you like and love at the beginning of a New Year until alcohol quickly became a more prominent factor. In my opinion, coming to terms with your own value of friends and family is a meaningful idea that is connected to this holiday.