New Year’s Eve has always been one of my favorite holidays. Growing up, my parents hosted their Sunday School class’ annual New Year’s Eve Party at our home. I got to eat all of my favorite “party appetizers”, we played Catch Phrase and Pictionary, and I got to stay up til midnight to watch the ball drop. It was truly one of my favorite nights of the year. Eventually the annual party tradition ended, but I would still stay up until midnight to watch the ball drop (even if my parents didn’t!).
I also love this holiday because of everything it represents. As a pretty sentimental person, I loved reflecting on the previous year and dreaming of what the next year would bring. I would always set resolutions (usually to brush my teeth more - don’t tell my dentist) and would follow through for a few weeks before slipping into old habits. But I always felt like there could be so much more to New Year’s Eve that I hadn’t quite figured out yet.
Then came December 31, 2017. I was invited to a New Year’s Eve Party for the youth group I attended on Friday nights. It had been several years since we had stopped the party at our house and I was BEYOND excited to play games, eat great food, and fellowship with my friends. Around 11, our youth pastor and his wife got us all to settle down and find a seat as they passed around notebook paper and pens. We were instructed to write a letter to ourselves that we would open the next year - on December 31, 2018. We could talk about this year, dream of what the next year would bring, write about our goals or emotions… crushes or successes… fears or plans. Needless to say, I was hooked. I wrote my letter and around Christmas of 2018 I received a card in the mail from my youth pastor and his wife (they even mailed them to us so we couldn’t forget or lose them!). Each year I would find time on December 31 to write my future self a letter, even dragging my family members into the tradition one year. I continued this tradition for 7 years before pausing in 2023. I didn’t have the energy, time, or motivation to continue my tradition that year.
I wish we could normalize this… this truth that not every tradition, discipline, habit, diet, routine, hobby, or lifestyle change is meant to last forever. God designed seasons for a reason. When something no longer serves us because our physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental season has shifted, it’s okay to be sad that that season is over. It’s okay to miss it and grieve it. But the foothold that Satan finds all too easily (at least for me in my experience) is inflicting guilt and shame that God never wanted us to carry. “I just quit way too easily”, “I hate that I didn’t have the energy this year”, “I failed… I missed 3 days… 1 week… 2 months so there’s no point in trying again”, “If I was more like *that person*, I could actually do this”,“I feel incomplete and unhappy without this in my life”. There IS something to be said about disciplining ourselves and finishing what we set out to do, but the shame-game was not in God’s plan for us. Work hard and push yourself, but understand that each season of life carries different needs and expectations… and God is never guilt-tripping you for not being enough.
Now that I’ve had my moment on my soapbox, let’s dive back into the beauty of New Year’s Eve. The “Letter to Self” truly was one of my favorite things I ever did. It was so cool to see what I had predicted correctly, what curveballs had been thrown, what attitudes and ideas had changed, but most importantly how God had been faithful throughout the year. If you try it out, let me know how it goes! I’m in a season of life now where I’m planning to write a letter tonight to Erica for 12/31/2026. I’m grateful for the energy, inner peace, and strength to do so.
But I have one more suggestion to you, that’s a little more simplistic, that I turned to in 2023: Word of the Year. I’m sure you’ve heard of this tradition - choosing one word to be intentional about, embody, or ‘manifest’ for your year. This tradition works for Christians, but also works out well for those that aren’t… so when I sat down 3 years ago to plan out a “Word of the Year” night for my youth group, I wanted to do something that would root this tradition in Christ. I wanted our word chosen based on Christian values, not on the trends or desires of culture. I wanted our word rooted in Scripture, not in what the world said was important. I wanted our word to remind us to keep our eyes on Christ, not in something we could ‘manifest’ or achieve for ourselves. So the assignment that night was simple: using scriptures and word recommendations I had printed out for my teens, they were to choose a word AND a Scripture to go with it. I bought them small canvases and asked them to write the Scripture out (not just the reference) on the back and either draw, color, or paint the word (or an image that reminded them of their word) on the front of the canvas. This could be as simple as a teenage boy writing “JOY” in black sharpie or as intricate as a teenage girl painting a sunset with “HOPE” written in the clouds. I love this tradition because it can be as complicated or easy as you want it to be. Depending on where you put your canvas and how intentional you are to meditate on it, it can help you be more aware of God’s presence in your life. In my experience, the Lord has led me to a word that I thought would mean one thing and has ended up meaning multiple things in various aspects of my life. Instead of a resolution or another item on a to-do list, it’s a word that could challenge and change the way you view situations, your relationships, your attitude, and your priorities. It stretches beyond one habit or discipline and addresses every area of life through your very mindset. It’s a holistic way to set an intention for your coming year that centers you in God’s will (that can very easily have plans, resolutions, & commitments attached!).
Let me give you some examples. In 2023 my words (for some reason God has always laid 3 words on my heart, so I make a canvas for all 3!) were BEAR (Galatians 6:2, 1 Corinthians 13:7), EMBRACE (John 1:5, Psalm 27:14, Romans 5:5, Isaiah 9:2), and FREEDOM (Isaiah 61:1, 2 Corinthians 12:9). In 2024 my words were EMPTY (1 Kings 17:16, Isaiah 55:11), GLORY (2 Corinthians 5:13-14), and DELIGHT (Psalm 37:4). In 2025 my words were RELEASE (1 John 4:18-19, Romans 8:37, Matthew 11:28-30), RECEIVE (Exodus 33:14, Exodus 14:14, Hebrew 4:16, John 1:16), and ABUNDANCE (John 10:10, Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 4:12-13). Each year God has surprised me with these words - what I thought they would mean at the beginning, how they changed my perspective during the year, and what they meant to me at the end of the year. I’m sure a few of them have ended up in Facebook posts, but I can’t wait to share with you in the coming weeks what RELEASE, RECEIVE, and ABUNDANCE have meant to me this year along with the words and expectations I have for 2026.
These traditions don’t have to happen on December 31 or even on January 1. They can happen on January 6, January 23, or even February 12. You don’t even have to wait for a new year to start. A new month, a new week, or a new day is the perfect time to draw near to God and begin to be intentional with your life. If you try one of them out (Letter to Self or Word of the Year), please share your word or your experience with me! May this time of reflection, hope, dreaming, and intention draw you closer to your Heavenly Father, refresh your soul, and help you recognize just how faithful our God is!
