New Year’s has not always been a holiday that I was enthusiastic to celebrate. I felt a lot of pressure around cultivating the perfect night, and the parties never quite lived up to the hype. Additionally, when I lived in big cities, New Year’s Eve was just another night when it was best to avoid being on the roads.

The concept of New Year’s Resolutions also doesn’t resonate with me. I have always maintained that this can be really self-limiting. If you know that there is a change you need to make, there’s no sense in putting it off for one day a year. Delaying it only gives you permission to continue bad habits once you’re aware of them. But, I can acknowledge that sometimes it is nice to take a phased approach to big changes – like a totally new diet or workout regiment.

In recent years, I have cozied up to New Year’s. When I decided to let myself celebrate in a way that is not necessarily considered ‘normal’ in today’s culture, I really started to enjoy the holiday.

A Deep Clean

My New Year’s ritual actually starts in mid-December, when I go through my whole house for a proper clean-out. I’m talkin’ closets, drawers, the pantry, the fridge, the garage, the dog toys, any lone boxes or cluttered corners… everything gets touched.

It is such a relief to get rid of items that no longer feel like you. I always find items that I have no excuse to keep. Just seeing space where there once was none, gives me a bit of peace.

Once I’ve got a big bag of stuff, I’ll donate what’s good quality, and throw the rest out. Then I pull out my cleaning supplies. Although I try to keep my house uncluttered and tidy as often as possible, I rarely get into my cleaning products. But once I’ve cleared space, it feels good to make that space shine.

I’ll put on my very long list of podcast episodes, and get in the zone. I finish up my cleaning spree by energetically cleansing my space. This involves burning some incense or sage, sealing my mirrors, windows and doors with Florida Water, and clapping in the corners to break up stagnant air.

Good In, Bad Out

In my journey to loving the New Year, I have loved gathering New Year’s Eve traditions from other parts of the world. Many countries have special foods to eat at midnight to secure prosperity in the new year. A Spanish tradition is to eat 12 grapes while making a wish: one for every month of the year. While Russians opt to remain silent in the 12 seconds before midnight to meditate on their wishes. In Italy, people believe that wearing red underwear will bring you luck, while in the Philippines, they wear polka dots.

One tradition that I have wrapped into my new year’s clean-out comes from Wiccan traditions. On the first of the year, I stand in my front doorway with three spices. In my right-hand (thought to be the hand that gives), I put a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. In my left-hand (the hand that receives), I put cinnamon. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and with intention, I blow the salt and pepper out my front door, blowing with it all negative energy. And I blow the cinnamon into my house, welcoming in prosperity and abundance.

The power comes from believing that you will get the desired results. And even if your abundance doesn’t come pouring in right away, at least your house smells nice!

Write It Down

While traditional New Year’s Resolutions aren’t my thing, I do like to be mindful about any changes that I would like to make in the new year. In the past three years, my favorite tradition has become my New Year’s Pine Cones.

Meditate on It

To make my New Year’s Pine Cone, I first like to take time for a deep guided meditation (at least 30 minutes). During this meditation, I will voyage to find my Highest Self. I’ll spend some time observing her: what does she wear; how does she carry herself; how does she act around others and alone. And I’ll sit down with her to get advice: what do I need to do to get to where she is? What is her message for me?

Of course, my Highest Self is me, just another part in my Internal Family System. I’m always connected to her, but sometimes I lose that visibility when my focus is too much on the Now. By touching back into that vision for my future, I often come up with some very clear next steps for myself.

Number Your Manifestations

I collect many modalities, one of them being Numerology. Whatever number year it is, I will write out that many Manifestations for the year. 2025 is a Nine year, because 2+0+2+5=9. Nine years symbolize coming to the end of cycles. They often involve major transformations and require letting go. It’s a year to tie up unfinished business. Nine years are years of looking inward, and being compassionate towards others as you recognize that they are likely doing the same.

Turn to Nature

When I have my set number of Manifestations clearly stated, I turn to nature. As an Earth sign, I have a strong connection to the outdoors, and much of my decor and altarpieces are from nature. And my New Years tradition involves finding the PERFECT pine cone. To me, a perfect pine cone is one that stands up by itself, that has all of its spines, and that forms a beautiful Fibonacci spiral.

I then re-write each of my Manifestations on its own piece of paper, and roll it up into a small scroll. I place those scrolls of paper into the pine cone, so that they stick out like spikes. And finally, I seal in those manifestations by drizzling candle wax over it.

Give It To Spirit

My Manifestation Pine Cone sits on my altar throughout the first half of the year, where I can constantly be reminded of the path towards my Highest Self. When the Summer Solstice comes around, I take my pine cone from my altar, remind myself of my manifestations, and I throw it into a bonfire. This carries my manifestations up to the heavens, and letting my Spirit Guides help me across the finish line.

Onward and Upward

At the end of the day, New Year’s is just a symbolic restart. This year, I encourage you to challenge yourself to change whenever you realize that a change is needed, and not to put too much pressure on yourself.

Try these new years traditions if you find yourself seeking a milestone to mark your transition, and let me know in the comments how they make you feel!