5 New Year’s Sayings That Need to Be Retired
New Year’s is pretty much the worst holiday ever. Everyone is expected to party less than a week after Christmas! Not to mention the pressure to make it meaningful with resolutions; we end up breaking sooner than later. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating the new year. It’s a good opportunity to reflect on the last 365 days of our lives.
But does it have to be so stressful?
It can be frustrating, especially when people insist on repeating the same clichés year after year. Our advice? It’s time to retire these five New Year’s phrases. Hearing them makes us want to have a quiet night in, watching the ball drop on TV.
“I haven’t seen you since last year!”
This is one of the most universally hated phrases in the English language. In fact, most people now use it specifically to frustrate and annoy people as a joke. However, there remains a vocal minority of people who still say it earnestly, like some kind of New Year’s tradition.
Please stop. We’re begging you. It’s not funny and no one likes hearing it. We know that sounds harsh, but someone has to say it.
“New year, new me!”
This is another one that inspires instant eye-rolls. For some reason, millions of people on social media flood everyone’s feed with “new year, new me” posts that are all pretty much identical. It’s fun to look back on the year by posting your favorite memories. But acting like you’re just going to change overnight? Come on.
“This is totally gonna be my year!”
Why do people insist on doing this to themselves? Saying something like this is basically inviting disappointment. The calendar might be resetting but that’s about it. If you get bills in December, they’re still due in January. Nothing is going to change just because we’re counting down to another new year.
The holiday is a reminder to take stock of things every so often, and that’s a great thing to do! But expecting things to change just because the year is over? It’s not worth it.
“It’s a fresh start!”
With a sentiment similar to “this is totally gonna be my year,” the dreaded “fresh start” is maybe an even bigger lie. We understand these sayings aren’t literal. But it also sometimes feels like the people who talk about fresh starts the most are the people who really need them. Unfortunately, that’s just not how it works.
We’re harsh because we care!
“Happy New Year!” well into January
Okay, this last one is just plain annoying. It makes sense coming off three consecutive holidays that each feel a month long, but stop telling people “Happy New Year!” in work emails well past January 1. People only do it because they feel pressured to after seeing other people do it. But we can all just stop doing it and nobody would miss it!
When you go back to that office on January 2, rest assured that nothing will have changed. You’ll still have to deal with that crappy copier, the coworker who tells bad jokes, and work meetings that bleed over into lunch. Trust us, that stuff never goes away, no matter how many times you say “Happy New Year” to pretend it isn’t so.
