(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ Celebrating the New Year!! (music)

It's almost the New Year!! 2024, year of the Wood Dragon is upon us!! 

I hope you're excited!! ˋ( ° ▽、° )  But, maybe you don't celebrate it because you don't have a reason to? Or maybe you don't see why it matters, or you have no one to spend it with.. that's okay too!!

As a kid I lived on the US' East coast, which is where I feel it's celebrated the most fervidly in America (since it's the same timezone as the ball drop).. (～￣▽￣)～ I'd go to parties every year and stay up with my cousins and wear my winter coat even indoors.. But since I moved, we haven't done much of that.. （︶^︶）But that doesn't mean I shouldn't celebrate!!

So, what can we do for the new year?

For a lot of people, it symbolizes a fresh start!! As part of the Japanese New Year (正月, Shōgatsu), it's good practice to do lots of cleaning and finish up things you need to do, so you have no unfinished business into the new year! That's so you can relax all you want at the start of the year.. (✿◡‿◡) I cleaned my room and reorganized, so I feel nice!

And of course, January 1st is best started by watching the new year's first sunrise .. It's traditionally believed to represent the entire new year and all it's going to bring!! *(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭*ଘ I'm going to try and see it myself..

If you have relatives or even close friends, online or otherwise, you should send them a letter or text them!!! I PROMISE YOU, it's not corny to be a nice person... <(＿　＿)>  even if you think so, you should stop thinking that way! It makes everyone feel a little better when you go out of your way to be corny and sentimental.. so write write write!!!

um.. thanks for reading this! ¯\(°_o)/¯ I wasn't sure anyone would care...  but I wanted to help others start their year off well! My last new year was abysmal.. but I'm changing my tune this year and the next!

Shrines are busiest this time of year.. check out a live stream of the crowds right now!

ALSO!! Here is a fun New Year's craft!! I make one every year! I'll show a picture of him later!!!

What are you wishing for this year? What are you going to do differently? What do you want to see!? Put it in the comments!!