The End of December

December 31, 2015 2:07 PM

"Besides, there’s little left to say about 2015, barring wide-scale revolution in the next few days, the apocalyptic sweep. And 2016 is nothing. It is currently meaningless. History will soon have its way with 2016 but, for now, the year is unknown, spotless, full of hope. The new year is always immediately defiled, like footsteps upon untouched snow, on January 1. Maybe this is why we celebrate on December 31, only for a few hours in the approach to midnight, when History and its incessant scribbling is paused." (slCatapault)
posted by Kitteh (19 comments total)

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.

T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
posted by Ian A.T. at 2:10 PM on December 31, 2015 [13 favorites]

I'll say this for 2014 - nothing awful from it went away in 2015 and most of it got worse.

Um, yay 2016!
posted by Artw at 2:12 PM on December 31, 2015 [6 favorites]

Google's 2015 Year In Search [TW: Emotionally Intense]

Buzzfeed: 28 Pictures that prove that 2015 wasn't completely terrible
posted by schmod at 2:44 PM on December 31, 2015 [18 favorites]

Meh. 2015 was OK.

Some good. Some crappiness. 2016 is an opaque morass that will certainly be filled with the same.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 3:25 PM on December 31, 2015

My mother's kisses don't heal and the New Year arrives only to be sullied?

oh Metafilter we love you get up
posted by gwint at 3:34 PM on December 31, 2015 [11 favorites]

schmod, please quit doing that. It makes my humbug hurt.
posted by mule98J at 3:55 PM on December 31, 2015 [3 favorites]

Oh, no. 2015 was an absolute tire fire of a year, both for society, and for me personally.

Those links were more of a reminder that bad times can bring out the best in us.

We're still here. And that's something..
posted by schmod at 5:43 PM on December 31, 2015

Every year is more of the same except some years it's more of the same but worse.

Unless you're Lin-Manuel Miranda, anyway.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:43 PM on December 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

I can honestly say this is the first New Year's of my life in which I have nothing to look forward to and no hope whatsoever it's going to be a better year. I hate that it's so, but there's nothing good ahead for me in the next year, and I'm not looking forward to anything getting better this year. I'm just trying as hard as I can not to let on to the kids and to make it through the night without ruining the occasion for them. So far so good. All my grumbling's been constrained to texts they don't have to see. I sincerely hope you've got more to look forward to than I do in the coming year. I expect the election is going to suck and the temperature here probably won't ever get low enough to switch the AC off.
posted by saulgoodman at 5:44 PM on December 31, 2015 [7 favorites]

In some Caribbean countries they celebrate Old Year's Night.
posted by Jode at 5:51 PM on December 31, 2015 [4 favorites]

Then you tell yourself
what you want to hear
'cause you have to believe
this will be my year

(h/t to the 90s music thread, previously)
posted by deludingmyself at 5:55 PM on December 31, 2015 [2 favorites]

Isn't everyone excited that this is the Year of Linux on the Desktop?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:48 PM on December 31, 2015 [8 favorites]

Now we're there and we've only just begun
This will be our year
took a long time to come

I know it's originally a Zombies song, but I prefer the slower tempo of this version, probably because I heard it first...
posted by Ian A.T. at 6:57 PM on December 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

Linux on the Desktop is great (and omg, i3 is the best ever)

Let's not talk about my laptop....
posted by schmod at 7:04 PM on December 31, 2015 [1 favorite]

saulgoodman: "I have nothing to look forward to and no hope whatsoever it's going to be a better year. "

Saul, just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 8:15 PM on December 31, 2015 [2 favorites]

I can honestly say this is the first New Year's of my life in which I have nothing to look forward to and no hope whatsoever it's going to be a better year.

saulgoodman, I am very sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better and I hope the year brings some pleasant surprises. And to the rest of you ragamuffins, too.
posted by Glinn at 8:16 PM on December 31, 2015 [2 favorites]

"I have nothing to look forward to and no hope whatsoever it's going to be a better year. "

--> children.

Try to hold on.
posted by mule98J at 12:23 AM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]

2015 was an okay year for me personally, as opposed to 2013 and 2014. I'm hoping that 2016 is even better. I feel pretty good about my direction and some things going on, which is really the first time I can say that in a couple of years.
posted by Automocar at 11:14 AM on January 1, 2016

For like the first time in memory I had a great year despite the usual bad stuff happening and I'm actually happy and excited and looking forward to 2016. Sorry everyone for whom that isn't the case, but after years of searching my life pulled together and rewarded me. This might be the year it happens to you. Yes, you.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 11:21 AM on January 1, 2016 [3 favorites]