This New Year edition brings you some musings as we start the 2011th chapter in history. As you plan your party, read about winter dating, how to work as a family and what to do to keep winter blues away. Read on…

The New Year is an opportunity to make a fresh start. That’s a cliché that we all know but very few of us are serious about it. We assure ourselves that the coming year would be different, path-breaking or charter new territories for us. We send invitations to people and call them over for celebrations. But a couple of months down the line, the enthusiasm sags and we are back to living the way we used to. Our goals for a new beginning get relegated to the sidelines, gathering moss and dust. But you can protect your goals if you want to.

At the start of a year, noble thoughts clog your mind. You want to put your best foot forward. But more often than not, you don’t know how. That’s what you actually need – a plan. You need reminders to keep working on making your plan a reality. The days of a New Year will be the same as the day today. It’s up to you to inject a fresh perspective and a new meaning to it. You can celebrate a New Year in the true spirit only when you are enthused about doing something different and unique. Good luck!

The winter season has its own challenges of dating! Kate, who’s getting married to Henry in June, was telling me the other day how her romantic life looks to be in threat because they can hardly go out. Henry and Kate didn’t have a romantic outing for some time, because they are both wary about braving the temperature outside. But Kate feels that there is a distinct advantage of flirting in winter. “You need not worry about clothes!” Kate said with a twinkle in her eyes, “People look good in anything when it’s winter!”

That is an observation about winter that has crossed my mind often, but I never voiced it in words. Kate felt that I didn’t agree with her, so she proceeded to explain. “The thing is,” Kate said, “in winter you may not look very kissable, but you definitely look very huggable!” Kate told me how Henry puts in several layers of clothing under the hoodie and that makes him look “very cute”. She feels that when a person is wearing heavy winter-wear, it has a very tender effect. “You feel warm in the company of such a person,” Kate stated.

In deference to this couple’s wish, we are having a New Year’s Eve Party. Christmas was a sedate affair for us, so we have decided to let go during the New Year. As the ball rolls down on New York, we are going all over the town! We are already sending out online invitations and making sure we track RSVPs to our party. The year promises to end with a bang!

A family that works together, stays together. That is the motto adopted by Eleanor this holiday season. Her son Mike and his wife Lisa, along with their son Andrew, are in town to celebrate Christmas and New Year with her and her husband Frank. Eleanor has planned for some activities that they are going to do together as a family. The purpose of it all is to work together for a positive synergy. “It’s nice to help each other out in doing something meaningful,” Eleanor told me when she stressed that we must have one among our friends.

Eleanor’s family put a Christmas tree together and decorated their place with Christmas decorations and lights. During the New Year, they are making subtle changes in theme to incorporate the new event in the calendar. All of them have some contributions to make, including Andrew, even if his only job sometimes is to sit tight and not undo what they are doing! The family’s efforts are there for everyone to see. You cannot pass by Eleanor’s stoop without glancing up at the beautifully touched pad. You miss home even more!

Are you someone who feels depressed during the winter months? Adrian, my roommate, belongs to your club then! He keeps brooding during winter, hardly stepping out. I have seen him like this for a couple of years now. But this time around, his steady partner Cathy, has instilled some tricks to beat away the blues. Cathy has asked Adrian to take short walks, despite the cold. Getting away from his den has surely improved his mood. It makes it even better when he wears bright cloths during these walks.

Another trick that he’s doing may not really be acceptable to many of you. He’s taking showers more frequently, sometimes by turning off the hot water tap as much as he can! “It works like adrenaline push-ups, Bob,” Adrian told me cheerfully, “You should try it!” I’m not sure if I can do that ever, but there’s one of these survival tricks that I have picked up. I’m listening to more music that I usually do. It keeps my mind from sinking into bottomless pits. It also feels nice to be surrounded by pleasant music when all your eyes can see is white and grey.

Here’s a beautiful Bill Vaughan quote to keep you inspired: “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”