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New Yorkers have been saying good riddance to bad memories of 2009 with a symbolic shredding of items in New York’s Times Square. A $250 prize was awarded for the most creative entry though there is currently conflicting information as to who the winner was as an entrant who submitted all his odd socks and a 12 year old shredding the memory of a school counsellor who had appeared on America’s most wanted listed as winners.
It strikes me this is a better use of symbolism than any doomed-to-fail style new year resolutions. As the good riddance day website tag-line says (warning psycho-babble alert): because sometimes you just need to let go.
Up the hill backwards 
I never make resolutions at New Year or any other time, considering them pointless: if I want to do something, then I will do it; if I don’t want to do it, then I won’t, and making a resolution won’t make any difference.
Communities have traditionally held periodic “cleansing” rituals to zero the sin clock, to put it in those terms, and make a fresh start (Catholic confession, anyone?). In tightly regulated communities, everyone celebrated at the same time in the same way but in our day, we are so fragmented religiously and philosophically (not that that’s a bad thing, mind you) that communal celebrations are losing their importance and disappearing. Some people feel the need to invent new ones to fill what they perceive to be a gap.
These rituals are really nothing more than a bit of psychological sleight of hand by which people try to convince themselves that they have effected some profound change in themselves. Still, if it makes them feel better, why should a cynical old tiger criticise them for it? Let them have their fun.