When I was growing up, there was never a New Year’s Eve when my sister and I didn’t write long lists of New Year’s resolutions for the coming year. Around 11:30 p.m. on December 31, we’d take a short break from whatever high-stakes game of cards we were playing to compile them. (Our late Grandma Dixie always gave us money to gamble with on New Year’s Eve. My parents hated it, which only made the whole experience that much more awesome.) Back then, we both thought New Year’s was just the coolest holiday ever.
Nowadays, I personally feel like New Year’s Eve is just one more holiday that shames ambiverts and introverts alike for preferring to get wasted in the comfort of their own homes instead of going out. I’ve also recently decided that, for me, New Year’s resolutions are (usually) the friggin’ worst. That said, I do want to spend more quality time with my sister this year, and I think my feelings are shared by many sisters. In fact, I know they are — because I asked sisters about their New Year’s resolutions for 2017, and most of the women I spoke with said they’d like to spend more time with their siblings.
Whether you have a sister or not, if you’re someone’s sister, then you might enjoy reading about some of the New Year’s resolutions that sisters are making this year. Heck, you might even get inspired to make a few sibling-related New Year’s resolutions yourself. Whatever you decide to do, be sure you’re doing it for yourself. Oh, and Happy New Year!
Psst! Check out the "You IRL" stream in the Bustle App for daily tips on how to have an empowering 2017 starting Jan. 1. Right now, tweet @bustle about how you plan to make 2017 the best year yet. Use the hashtag #2017IRL, and your tweet could be featured on our app.
"I'd like for us to travel more together. We've always talked about seeing LA and New York City together, along with countless other places; now we're old enough and financially mature enough to hopefully be able to do it. She's my best friend and I'd love to experience amazing places with her."
"Choose to speak more positively to each other and see the good in our circumstances."
"To realize I don't know what's best for her all the time — she's an adult and will hopefully make the best decisions herself ... and support her through them. (Not that I don't already — but you know what I mean.)
Pray for her daily, we need all the support we can get! Be her accountability partner in all things. (Particularly in working towards a healthier lifestyle ... it can be so hard trying alone.) Remind her regularly how gorgeous she is. She doesn't see it, but man I do. (Hannah is SO photogenic...and I'm a wee bit jealous.)"
"In the new year I aspire to do more yoga with my sisters in the park, followed by Saturday-brunch-sister-time."
"Make an effort to go see her more. Talk on the phone at least once a week. Let her know how beautiful she is daily. Help her realize Jesus loves her regardless! Go to the beach together! (We haven't done that in years!!!!)"
"I want to try and not let my feelings be bothered so much by my siblings' actions. (Good or bad.) It puts more stress on me than I need. They don't understand why I'm upset or happy and I'm the only one that suffers. I want to contribute to the good things they accomplish with a physical gift. I want to be able to speak to them in a way they understand, so I would like to read more on love languages."
"All my sisters live in other states (five of us), so mine is to have conference calls where we can all talk together at least once a month. We are all so busy with our lives, being moms and wives, that we never get to be sisters. If it wasn't for my sisters, I wouldn't be who I am now. We are all so different but connect together so well."
"I would like to spend more time with my sister, but not sure that will change at this point in life. I am 57 and Becky is 54. We don't live in the same town and she has two grandbabies that take up a lot of her time now, which is how it should be. Don't get me wrong. I love her dearly. She is my only sibling. When we are together we have such fun — but it isn't like it was when we were kids and probably never will be, but that is OK."
"None of us are phone call people, but I'd like to check in more often. We usually use social media to keep in touch because they live in the mountains and don't have good cell service. They live pretty close to each other, but about 18 hours from me. I try to visit at least once a year, but 2016 was a bitch."
"I would say a resolution would be taking more time to really talk to my brother in-person. And listen. I need to work on listening."
"My resolution is to talk to my family more. My two sisters and I barely talk, and I'd really like for that to change."
"I'm one of those who is a sister but doesn't have a sister. It seems that in families with just one daughter, it falls upon her to maintain family relationships. When my parents were alive, my mom was the one who kept us all together. It is important to me to maintain those connections with my brothers and their families, even when it sometimes feels like a one-way street.
I want my children to have extended family in the future, so I resolve to put in the work to develop and maintain those relationships while I am still here to do it. When my mom died, I lost all contact with her side of the family: my aunt and uncle, and my cousins. I don't want that to happen to my kids. Even though they are adults, I still feel like it falls on me to keep those relationships alive and moving forward."
"To be a more understanding sister and try to see things from my brother's point of view, even if I don't agree. Just try to see his side more."
"To talk to them more. I know they live far from me so it's hard for any of us to see each other, but a quick text, email, or even phone call shouldn't be that hard to do. Some days it's harder than most, though, to just talk to my sisters."
"I want to be more proactive when it comes to reaching out to my sisters. Whether it's to set up some plans for quality time, or just texting them to make sure they're in a good place mentally. I want to put forth more effort."
Check out the "You IRL" stream in the Bustle App every day in January for daily tips on how to have an empowering 2017.
