5 Ways to Start Out the New Year

This article is dedicated to all those who love the New Year and hope to remember each and every one of them.

Yes, it’s here: Year 9, the 9th year of Neopia’s existence. 9 is one number bigger than 8, which makes 9 a whole lot happier! So, now that it’s the New Year, what are you going to do? Some people just lounge around and think it’s just a “So what?” matter. It’s not. There’s more to the New Year than that, of course! It's sad to see that fewer and fewer people are buying New Year items to celebrate, ignoring New Year parties, and pretending that there's nothing going on. So here’s a guide to your ultimate start for a happy New Year, so that you'll never forget!

1. Resolutions. When the New Year rolls around, a new you can as well. Think about the things you want to change about yourself, or any goals you want to accomplish. Do you want to take better care of your pets/petpets/petpetpets? Do you want to get that ultra-rare Strawberry Fields Forever Paint Brush? Then grab a notebook, write it down, and go for it! Of course, don’t forget about your resolutions. You have to actually accomplish the goals. If you think that you’ll forget, you can post them on your wall. Also, if you want, you can post your resolutions on the Neoboards so that everyone can read them, and maybe use them as well!

2. Celebrate! There’s no better way to start off the New Year than getting together with friends and having fun. You can decorate your Neohome with Y9 balloons (they’re released on the special day), streamers, pictures from Y8... anything that reminds you of the past and the future years. Buy Y9 toys for you and your friends to play with. Now that the party is set, get your friends! Make up a list of people and pets that you’ve met from Y8. You could also invite your guild over to have a guild party, or have a Neoboards party. As long as it’s people that you enjoy being around, party on!

Now that you have your friends with you, you’ll have to have activities. During the party, you can talk about the fun things you did in Y8, play games that were recently released (like Godori), and just any fun that you can imagine! You can also think of the future year- new game ideas, new plot themes, or even designing a new pet! As long as it’s related to the future-or the past- you can do just about anything.

3. Plan ahead. Is there something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time? This is the year! Get that notebook out again and list the things you’d like to do. It can be anything from testing your luck at the Food Club to taking a visit to Shenkuu. Whatever it is, write it down. Now organize the list. Is it okay to go to Mystery Island any time of the year, or do you have to wait until summer? These kinds of things need to be thought out carefully. If it does matter when you do what, consult with your family and plan a date. Then, roughly sketch out your plans as for when you’ll do what. This will help you stay organized, spend some time with your family, and look forward to doing something without worrying!

4. Clean and start fresh. After a year, your Neohome can get pretty messy, and your SDB really dusty. Start by going through your inventory and sorting out items. Some can be discarded, some things are worth donating, and some can go into your SDB. If you’re like me, and you have tons of things in your SDB, grab a duster and start dusting! If items are left in a dark area for too long without being moved around, they can get covered with an ugly layer of dust. Or, you could empty your SDB entirely.

Now that you’re through, look around your Neohome. Chances are, it’s a big mess, especially if you’ve just had your party. Start by going through all your rooms with a trash can on hand. If you spot an unwanted piece of junk, toss it. Maybe you want to rearrange your furniture for a new look. Tired of that old poster? You can replace it with a new one if you like. If you have some furniture that you don’t want, you can sell it for a pretty good price. You can also put it in your SDB if you think you might want it later. If your shelves are covered in dust, wipe them off so that the colors shine!

5. Remember and look ahead. Think about the great times from Y8. There are so many things that happened that you’ll HAVE to think of something. Put together a scrapbook of Y8. You can put in things like scraps of paper from the Altadorian Archives, a picture of your team playing Yooyuball, a drawing of the unsolved Bonju avatar, and personal things as well. I happen to have a strand of Sophie’s hair that I found on the floor of her shack while fetching potions. Just put in anything you have from the previous year. Now, put away your past (literally!) and think of the future. So many surprises came for us in Y8; there are bound to be more in Y9. Maybe we’re in for a new species, or even a new world along with it. Maybe we’ll have to fight against a new villain that’s on the side of Sloth and his minions. If you want, write your ideas in your nifty notebook. Hopefully, after using it so much, it's filled up!

So, you see, it isn't really that hard to start out the New Year! As long as you keep up the cheer and fun, you'll never forget about the great times you're going to have. Have friends close by for everything, so that the New Year can be even more memorable. To start out a New Year is to start out a fresh, new life!