New Year’s Resolutions

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Director Amy Vessella

By the time you read this article, we will be a month into the new year. Many of us made New Year’s resolutions sometime before that sparkling ball dropped to mark the beginning of 2025. Some of those resolutions may have been abandoned by January (when we thought better of giving up chocolate, for example), while we are still sticking to others with varying degrees of success.

The custom of making New Year’s resolutions is not a modern one. Some 4,000 years ago (give or take) ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods during the festival of Akitu. If the Babylonians kept their promises, favor would be bestowed upon them during the coming year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, similar customs were discovered while studying other ancient cultures and civilizations.

While the first New Year’s resolutions were religious in nature, they have evolved to become predominantly secular. According to Statistica, the top three New Year’s resolutions for 2025 are to save money, eat healthier and exercise more.

You might wonder how this information has anything to do with the library. Well, I will let you in on a not-very-well-kept secret. We have many resources to help you succeed with your New Year’s resolutions. Do you want to save more money? We have books on financial planning and investing. Are you determined to eat healthier? We have lots of great cookbooks that feature healthy recipes (and we won’t even bat an eye if you check out that book on cookies and brownies instead). If you want to exercise, we have books and DVDs on that too. Stop by and check things out!

So, what are my New Year’s resolutions you ask….

Like 43% of us, I don’t make any. At this point in my life, I know myself well enough to acknowledge that I will never give up chocolate or cheese…and I’m okay with that.

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2025!

Resources:
Pruitt, S. (2025, January 2). The history of New Year’s resolutions. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions
Fleck, A. (2024, December 19). America’s top New Year’s resolutions for 2025. Statista Daily Data. https://www.statista.com/chart/29019/most-common-new-years-resolutions-us/

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