Page 254 - A Literary Holiday Cookbook

W hile most holidays focus on the here and now, New

Year’s Eve is unique in that it has one eye fixed on the
future. As each year comes to a close, we can’t help but

notice areas of our lives that could use improvement, giving rise

to the New Year’s focus on personal growth.

Character growth is a vital part of storytelling. Most characters
don’t experience it as literally as, say, Alice from Alice’s

Adventures in Wonderland, but it’s still a hallmark of compelling

literature. Growth is what allows Erik to release Christine in The
Phantom of the Opera and Gerda to rescue Kai in “The Snow

Queen.” Characters who shutter their hearts and reject growth—

such as the Snow Queen herself—are often doomed to
destruction.

However, it’s important not to ignore the lessons of our past. A

year already lived may not have the shiny spotlessness of a new

one, but it has the patina of wisdom that only experience can
provide.

So, this New Year’s Eve, as you nibble Eat Me Cakes and sip
Drink Me Punch, resolving that next year will be better, next year

will be different—allow yourself a moment of congratulations.
After all, as important as it is to open your heart to new