As the clock hit 12:00 on Jan. 1, 2021, students went into a new year with the same pandemic. With school still taking place virtually, life continuing with masks and social distancing regulations dragging on, New Year’s traditions appear differently than they have in the past.

The pandemic altered life in an unexpected yet drastic way, too sudden to put immediate coping mechanisms into place. Classic new Year’s traditions include spending time with friends and family, going out to celebrate and watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV. With the ongoing pandemic, more thought was put into place, safety precautions were taken seriously and New Year’s traditions changed.

It is difficult to stay optimistic about continuing past traditions when daily deaths and sickness have become a constant reality. Although some students try to remain positive, senior Sebastian Maldonado reflects on his past New Year’s traditions and compares them to this year’s event. “A common tradition I have with my family and friends is in the past New Year’s Eve we would have everyone over for dinner and we would watch the ball drop. This year I wasn’t able to have everyone over inside due to the pandemic. I decided this year despite not being able to have people over, I would try and make a plan with friends outdoors. I went snowboarding on New Year’s Eve with friends at Liberty Mountain and I learned to take the time to appreciate being able to spend time with close friends even if it wasn’t tradition,” Maldonado said.

As the pandemic has given us more time on our hands to think, students have realized that changing New Year’s traditions is safer and it’s important to understand this for yourself and use this time for growth. Junior Jaimie Morris takes time to recognize and appreciate the things she was still able to do on New Year’s. “With so many job losses and deaths during the pandemic, I told myself to start being more grateful for how this pandemic has affected me personally. Although there have been many downsides to my life due to the pandemic, I am grateful that my family was still able to get together safely and spend time together on New Year’s. It’s important to realize how grateful I am, knowing I could still have some of our yearly tradition. Normally I am away in Florida with my grandparents, but this year a Zoom call with them felt just as special,” Morris said.

The pandemic has crushed the mental health of many, students included. It is extremely important to focus on yourself in times like these, as mental health comes first. Winter break was a chance for students to hangout with friends and family over the holidays, but sophomore Ethan Kuan made new traditions for New Year’s dedicated to focusing more on himself. “With all the craziness that has taken place within the last year, I lost sight of a lot of things, especially how important it is to keep my mental health in check in order to do what I need to get done. With the new year, I decided to start focusing more on myself. Each year I have been away on vacation with my family and have never been able to be at home to celebrate, I used this to my advantage and really took the time to relax and have a chill night,” Kuan said.