To be completely honest, I am not a New Year’s Eve guy. I find the holiday more depressing than anything. To me, it is a second rate celebration to Christmas. I think the signature song that plays when the ball drops carries with it a very somber tune.

But, I must say that New Year’s Eve 2015 was a great one. I got to spend it with my fiance along with my brother and his girlfriend. Usually I prefer to just stay in but I had a fabulous time hanging with my special group last night.

Sidney, myself, Glen, and Ashley had a great time last night.

So while I don’t get excited about NYE, I actually really enjoy New Year’s Day. I think part of the reason for enjoying January 1 so much is because New Year’s Eve has passed. However, most of my enthusiasm for the holiday stems from the fresh feel of the day and the mini traditions that I have incorporated into the date.

The first order of business is to get my workout in. Starting the year with some exercise sets the tone for 365 days of healthy physical activity. Although today’s workout was especially tough considering last night’s festivities, I made sure to go to my dad’s gym and go through the routine I do while in Spokane.

The second, but most important, tradition I partake in is attending mass. Although New Year’s Day is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics, I would attend even if I had the choice. Getting the year kicked off by sitting in a beautiful church listening to God’s word is not only a good omen but it is peaceful and relaxing. It is also the best possible time to reflect on the past year and prepare oneself for the new one. I attended 11 a.m. mass at St. Thomas More in Spokane this morning.

My third tradition is watching the Rose Bowl game. I enjoy viewing the other hundred bowl games on today as well but I make it a point to sit down and watch the Granddaddy of Them All. The game itself is just beautiful to watch. The Rose Bowl is a pristine stadium and it is always drenched in sunshine. Besides the aesthetics, the match up itself is always dynamite. When the game isn’t a College Football Playoff contest you mostly always have a fun Pac-12 team clashing with a traditional Big 10 power. It is right in the middle of the day and you can just feel that the whole nation is watching. Even though today’s game was a blowout, I still enjoyed taking the action in and watching Stanford’s Christian McCaffery run wild.

It has been another great New Year’s Day. I followed all my traditions and enjoyed spending it with my family. I am now off to watch a Redbox movie with my parents and fiance. Have a great first weekend of 2016! Don’t Blink.