  Noticing Newbies
This week: Celebrating the New Year Edited by: Tornado Dodger  
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Celebrating the New Year
The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now late March. For the Babylonians, the first new moon following the Vernal Equinox-the day in late March with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness-heralded the start of a new year. They marked the occasion with a massive religious festival called Akitu that involved a different ritual on each of its 11 days.
As civilizations around the world began developing more sophisticated calendars, they typically chose the first day of the year according to an agricultural or astronomical event. In Egypt, for instance, the year began with the annual flooding of the Nile, which coincided with the rising of the star Sirius. The first day of the Chinese new year, meanwhile, occurred with the second new moon after the winter solstice.
It wasn't until 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons when January 1st became the beginning of the New Year . It was chosen also partly to honor the month's namesake: Janus, who was the Roman god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, endings and time. Because he was depicted as having two heads, at midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new seeing simultaneously into the future and the past. You can read more about the Roman god here
The tradition of the New Year's Resolution is documented all the way back to 153 B.C. and is also connected to Janus. As you can see, the tradition of making a New Year's Resolution has been around quite a while. Despite how long this tradition has been in practice, it's widely known that four out of five resolutions are never achieved by their creators. Why? Many say they're too busy or weren't committed enough to their choices but it's more likely that the resolutions were too vague and were more of a general desire than a specific goal. Resolutions are in the basic sense, a set of goals, and goals are beneficial in several ways. They can increase your motivation, measure your progress over time, help you take control of your future and assist you in setting priorities. Think of your goals as your compass on the journey of your life. Without direction, you wander aimlessly and you may be stuck forever, where you are today.
If you'd like to make one or several resolutions for the coming year, allow me to suggest you set specific, realistic goals to achieve. The most common goal for authors would be to write more. Instead of simply stating "I want to write more", show your goal as something more specific like "I will set aside two hours a week of quiet writing time" or something similar that fits your own personal goals. You can set one or several but remember, it's always better to make one resolution and keep it than to create five and not be able to keep any. Your best intentions in January can be long faded memories in June.
Although the date for New Year's Day is not the same in every culture, it is always a time for celebration and for customs to ensure good luck in the coming year. Good luck and may you and your family be blessed with good health, good fortune and much happiness in the new year.
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 Finish out 2010 by thanking a friend to show them how much they're appreciated. Consider nominating and/or making a donation here.
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Highlighted Newbies:
I've chosen newbie items this month that are related to the recent holidays and a couple that just caught my eye. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 
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Excerpt:
Trust don't come easy to a man whose been burned
But if there's one thing for sure that this man has learned
A true salesman does not overwhelm
With all the info he has at the helm
Telling only some isn't exactly a lie
He has to find out what they are willing to buy
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Excerpt:
Tomorrow is Christmas Day. I have no gifts to give and expect no gifts to be given to me. It is the way of life, perverted understanding of that as it may be, that I possess.
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Excerpt:
a mistletoe branch, she settled comfortably in between all the other snowflakes. "Hello." she said. "Hello." the many different voices came. "I was
a star you know, but I am so glad, now to be snow." "We are new too." They said, "just landed here today".
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Excerpt:
Truthfully he could never betray the hope
As he sees it glimmering in the
Doe eyes of innocent youths.
They no longer have faith, the elders,
So the parents that once doubted too,
They keep the secret; their tight lips locked
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Excerpt:
What happened to the Christmas stockings?
She asks frantically around. Twenty perfect red Christmas stockings. Four hours ago they were still hanging on the classroom's wall. Parents and kindergartners will soon arrive for the Christmas party. The hired Santa Claus is already here.
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Excerpt:
There are jingle bells ringing,
And sleigh rides in the snow,
Laughter and singing,
Everywhere we go.
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Excerpt:
Its was Christmas Eve,
Santa needed jewels and gems.
To bad his name was Steve,
And he drove a red Benz.
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Excerpt:
The tree was fully decorated, with lights and ornaments all over. I drank the sight in, my heart beating rapidly. Underneath the tree was a huge pile of presents of all shapes and sizes. The captain had said that there was one for each person. He had also said that we could not open them until after breakfast, so I left, looking back at the massive tree one more time.
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[Submitted Items]
"Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor
Submitted with this comment:
Hi. I am a newbie and would like to ask people to review my story. It's a fantasy where the "Mountain" is the whole world (at least to the characters). In it animals talk and a sheep dreams of being a wolf. The sheep joining wolves parallels a boy joining a gang. Some violence is scattered in it, but implicit in the life of the Wolves (gang members). I'm looking for advice on parts that may detract from the story or moral. A Christian theme plays lightly through it all.
"Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor
Submitted with this comment:
Chapter One of one of my incomplete books, about a Polish Christian Partisan in World War Two. Please review!!!
"Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor
Submitted with this comment:
I am new here and am working my way through the site. Thought I would send a poem to get some exposure. I need as much constructive criticism as possible. :) And here is a Haiku I wrote. Hope you like it. Would welcome reviews from anyone.
"Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor
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I received some wonderful feedback to my last newsletter [#4097] "The Benefits of Journaling" and I'm proud to share it with you.
From A.T.B: It'sWhatWeDo 
Beautiful newsletter, Brooke! I sometimes argue with myself whenever I've reached a difficult point in any given work...only I recently began penning my (certifiably insane) spats after a confused neighbor came to "check on me" with her cell phone looking rather conspicuous in her hand.
"You've never lived next door to a writer, I guess..."
Never got another plate of homemade cookies that winter, but I found that my arguments were much more punctual in journal form, at least until my Ideas Bin was stuffed full of them...
Keep 'em coming, Brooke!
Thanks Drew! You don't need her. I'll send you cookies.  
From ezdormani
Thank you for writing about "The Benefits of Keeping a Journal." Your ideas helped me so much through these times. I am going to start a journal. Thanks,
Ez
That's the best response I could have ever hoped for. Thank you! I hope it helps.
From Power Unit
Is there an easy way to keep a journal on WDC? I can't find any.
The easiest way to create a journal is by following the guidelines in the WDC 101 section "Book" . Normally, journals are created using the book item.
From Gidget65
Thank You.
You're welcome and thank you for taking the time to send me a note.
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Noticing Newbies: December 28, 2010 Issue [#4154]
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