Fantasy Advent Day 17: 4 proposed New Year's resolutions from across fantasy

With 2025 not far away, many of us are thinking about what we've accomplished personally and professionally since last January 1. There are always expectations to consider and here are a few that fantasy media has suggested for us.

The Hobbit: Make this a merrier world

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." These are among the last words of Thorin, king under the mountain. He has gone through decades of struggle and personal growth, only to fall in a battle that originated in his pride. His change of heart has cost lives and relationships, but he repents of his folly at this moment and we can all learn from that example.

Whatever we've done in the past we can find a way to value what matters most in days to come. Food and cheer are important, of course, but the thing we need to cultivate is hospitality. We can all be more welcoming and open-minded in the days to come.

Harry Potter: Try for some remorse

Thorin Oakenshield isn't the only one who can learn from their mistakes. In the closing chapters of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived invites his parents' murderer to "try for some remorse." This goes beyond the regret.

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary site, remorse comes from a Latin root of "remordere." It means to bite again. There is always a sense of torment in feeling remorse in this way. You allow something to come back to haunt you (or to bite you) and Hermione says that it can be "excruciatingly painful." Hopefully, we won't feel things that strongly, but it's best to start now and work on things a little bit at a time instead of letting them bite us again and again.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe: Grow up

One of my favorite quotes isn't from the plot of a book, but the dedication. In C.S. Lewi's first book of The Chronicles of Narnia, he writes a note to his goddaughter Lucy. "You are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time is printed and boudn you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."

It's a lovely thing to imagine that we can come back to a place of wonder. As we grow older, we should leave ourselves open to learning new things about experiences we've already had. Let's not ever forget to make that a goal.

A Wind in the Door: Recognize the things you love

In the second book in Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time quintet, Meg Murray is given a test by immortal beings. She has to distinguish between three versions of a man who has caused her a lot of trouble. She has a hard enough time dealing with the judgments and expectations of one and each of the others is just as unpleasant. Struggling to love Mr. Jenkins, the teacher, she asks one of her companions how she's supposed to feel that. The response is profound: "Love isn't how you feel. It's what you do."

We can love each other better by recognizing the good in what they do, whether they are our closest friends or our most pesky adversary. In this case, Meg identifies the real person she can trust because "he's the only one of you who's human enough to make as many mistakes as he does...and I love for it." It's unconventional but it's a great rule to see people as they truly are.