🍇 Spanish New Year, American-Style

Eat Grapes, Make Lists & Take Naps

While Noche Vieja (New Year’s Eve) in Spain means staying up late to eat twelve grapes, calling everyone on WhatsApp, and partying past midnight, Americans prefer quiet reflection, fireworks at 9:00 PM, and humble-bragging about early bedtimes. My Spanish husband, who’s normally in bed by 10:00 PM, insists on going full Spaniard for New Year’s Eve—meaning we stay up until midnight, clink glasses of cava (Spanish sparkling wine), call and text everyone we know, and tuck into bed by 01:00.

Staying up doesn’t come naturally to me—humans are mammals, winter means hibernation, and America’s 4:39 PM sunsets invite sleepiness. To enjoy the late-night life in Spain, I rely on strategic naps or running Madrid’s San Silvestre Vallecana 10K, a nighttime race with 45,000 people. This year, we are stateside, staying on the sleepy Oregon Coast, so a late-night beach walk will hopefully help me stay awake and not be an overtired killjoy.

Champagne problems never looked so good | Photo by Pixabay

Another way to spend the extra hours on New Year’s Eve is to reflect on the past year and dream about the next. Even if my clearly stated goals and desires haven’t quite hit their mark recently, I still believe in taking stock of how to best spend my finite time and energy. With its built-in sense of renewal—and those bonus hours courtesy of my Spanish husband—New Year’s feels like the perfect moment to pause, reflect, project, and plan.

There are many ways to reflect—journaling and talking while walking are my favorites. Whatever you do, make sure you record it. Having words to read or a message to listen to helps me see the progress that perfectionism glazes over.

This year, I’m leaning towards the long-form Year Compass, a free 20-page multilingual reflection tool. A shorter option is an "In & Out" list—made famous by The Washington Post in 1978 by fashion editor Nina Hyde. This is a fun way to be your own trendsetter, mixing reflection and revelry.

So, whether it’s Spain’s midnight grape ritual, making lists, an early bedtime, or a late-night kiss, I invite you to pause and savor the moment. I’m not proud to admit that most of my time is spent wanting things to be different than they are. But when I stop to think about it, being alive, in this moment, is a multidimensional miracle.

Thank you so much for reading in 2024. Let’s do more of this in 2025.

Happy New Year ✨ Felíz Año Nuevo