Ring in the New

I am not really a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, mostly because I’m fond of eating and spending money. Resolutions usually require you to make reductions in one or both of those activities. A fresh start to the New Year has some appeal, as do making positive changes to one’s habits. So, here are resolutions I can support with enthusiasm.

Sign up for more seed catalogs. You might be on the mailing lists for some seed catalogs already, but let me be clear: you need more. In order to curate the most extraordinary selection of plants for your 2024 growing season, it’s important to have multiple resources at your fingertips. This means lots of seed catalogs. (This also means lots of seeds, but you’ve probably also resolved to declutter this year, which will give you more room to store seeds.)

Try hygge. Everyone is talking about hygge, a Danish concept that basically means embracing coziness, comfort, and warmth during the winter months. It’s good stuff, that hygge, and my Scandinavian roots approve of its intent. During winter on the farm, it’s a nice contrast to the ice and wind and snow you’re working in daily.

Take a photo every day. It doesn’t have to be a great photo—but take at least one a day. Snap a sunset, zoom in on that cool squirrel, preserve the glory of that golden bowl of macaroni. Street signs! Mushrooms! Your sleeping dog! You’ll find yourself looking at the world differently, and you’ll have a photographic documentary of your year.

Continue your quest for the perfect boots, gloves, and overalls that will be reliable, comfortable, sturdy, and enduring. Take heart, my friend, you’ll find them eventually.

Repair or replace something frustrating. Sometimes you can inexpensively resolve something annoying, like a blade that needs sharpening or a tool that needs tightening. Can a $5 part from the hardware store make your life easier every single day? (Answer: yes, it can.)

See? We can ring in the new in so many positive ways and we don’t even have to give up chocolate.

About the author

Samantha Johnson is a writer, farm girl, and the author of more than a dozen books on rural living. She lives on a farm in northern Wisconsin with a colorful herd of Welsh Mountain Ponies, a bossy Welsh Corgi, and a wide assortment of tomato plants.

View her portfolio at samanthajohnson.contently.com