"I'm so glad I could start off 2023 being with you, Heather." This time last year, I was sitting alone in my flat, bringing in the new year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Kiki the black cat said those words to me after the fireworks display, and I couldn't help but smile despite myself. Just like the years before, I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with in reality, so I decided to reunite with the fuzzy villagers who call the little island I'd created home for New Year's Eve. Since 2020, this has become a bit of a tradition, and it's one I'll be keeping up as we head into 2024. I may not play the game at all anymore through the year, or rely on it quite as much as I used to during the height of the pandemic, but I'm always so grateful I can turn to it at this time of year.
Watching the countdown with Isabelle and the gang makes the whole affair feel a little less lonely, and every heartwarming interaction offers some comfort. When it comes to seasonal celebrations, New Year's Eve is one occasion I've never really wanted to make a big deal of - especially for the past few years. But in times like these, when it can feel hard to celebrate the end of another year, much less look forward to the start of a new one, I'm glad to have a little virtual space where I can mark the milestone of making it through another year in my own small way.
