Happy New Year! We hope you’ve enjoyed a very Merry Christmas, that Hannukah was bright and that you take comfort in the Solstice knowing that — while winter is indeed upon us — the darkest days have already passed. Whatever you celebrate, may it be something good and bring you deep joy. Come what may, we wish you all the best. 

We thought you might appreciate the following:

Let’s start with this fascinating piece on the history of New Year’s and its traditions from History.com

Want to go to a ball drop without going to the THE Ball Drop? Going Local Long Island has a whole list of local celebrations, including midnight spectacles and several events featuring a very family-friendly 8pm ball drop!  (We of The Firefly were delighted, btw, to win their first ever Local’s Choice Awards for best gallery. Thank you to all who voted for us! Even, better — since we know just getting nominated means something special — we are thrilled they listed 2nd and third place winners for their awards as well. Support these local treasures!)

In addition to one last hurrah for the old year, it’s also a time for introspection and planning. Here are “7 Questions to Ask Yourself for a Happier New Year, written by Jancee Dunn for the New York Times. It draws from a number of folks prominent in the field of self help as well as her own dad. (mind the paywall – please support quality journalism if you value it. You may also find this article at your local library!)

The website for the Calm app also has a lovely list of reflections that leads into a thoughtful approach to gentle, and thus likely more effective, resolution making 

Here are some other tips on actually sticking to those resolutions. from a neuroscientist named Nicholas Wright writing for Time Magazine. It’s got a good bit to do with breaking things down into manageable bites and staying loose in the face of unexpected obstacles and new information.   

The Myth of Maintenance, by Dr. Jeff Reynolds of the Family and Children’s Association, offers a little tough love to spice up all the rest of this, centering on the idea that, even if we’d simply like to maintain, we’re best off doing so from a mindset of innovation, growth and being willing to push ourselves. 

This is true. It’s also true that we have to be patient with ourselves if we are ever going to overcome the myriad frustrations that come with trying to get our human selves to maintain, let alone achieve great aspirations. Here’s a little help from Yasmin Ruffo in the BBC on doing that, entitled “The two words to avoid when making your New Year’s resolution.”

It doesn’t have to be hard. Here are “65 Achievable New Year’s Resolutions” from Good Housekeeping. 

One of those suggestions is to volunteer more. Many of us are thinking about how we can help out more, and are still doing year-end giving! Here’s a list of JUST A FEW incredible local organizations that could use our support. Use it as a starter guide. We look forward to sharing many more in the New Year!

Let us know your year-end reflections and resources, and what you’d like to see focused on in 2026. Thanks!!!