Yes, as readers have surely been entertained to discover, there are no more midweek parties on the horizon until April 3rd, so today, in fact, marks the beginning of the period for carrying out our list of New Year's resolutions.

A week ago, as 2025 drew to a close, I spoke about endings, which often leave a bitter taste. To compensate readers, today, at the very start of 2026, I'll revisit the joy that beginnings usually bring us. Even if the President of the United States wants to spoil the start of this year for us.

The New Year's Eve tragedy in Switzerland following the fire in a bar in the town of Crans-MontanaThe tragedy has so far claimed 40 lives. However, this toll is still provisional, as 119 more people were injured, most of them critically. On Sunday, Swiss forensic services identified all the bodies: among the deceased were 22 Swiss nationals, while the second most affected national group was French, with seven victims. Six of the deceased were Italian, two Romanian, one Portuguese, one Belgian, and one Turkish. One of the most harrowing facts is that half of the dead (who ranged in age from 14 to 39) were minors. Among the victims was 18-year-old Joaquim Van Thuyne Daniel, the son of a Catalan mother. Although he was born in Switzerland in 2007 and his family lived there, the young man had Catalan roots. He played football and was at the bar with other team members who also lost their lives. His grandfather, Josep Daniel, is well-known in Sant Cugat del Vallès, where he is a co-founder of the University Extension Program for Seniors. In fact, a funeral mass is expected to be held at the Sant Cugat monastery to remember the victim. At the moment, no date has been set. The young man's burial will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Anyway. TV3 broadcast the New Year's Eve chimes, and the presenters toasted with beer, which, naturally, has caused the industry to foam at the mouth, and not from hops. There are few occasions when it's clear that cava should be present, and New Year's Eve is one of them.

And well, now that New Year's Eve is over, let me add a little water to the wine. Tradition says—and there are some very new traditions—that you have to eat twelve grapes during the twelve chimes: one for each chime. Since they go by quickly, the person in question tries to chew and swallow, because the point is to finish with an empty plate.

We've barely begun to form the first memories of the year. Those that, in December, which now seems so distant, might come to mind. We'll wonder if they're from this year, or from another, or much further back. Especially if we're not part of that group of people who remember dates and places exactly as if they were reliving them each time. Especially if we're among those who remember absurd dates and minuscule events, if one can even consider each of our lives insignificant. In a diary, historical events are mixed with the events of personal stories. But, in the end, all stories make up the history of the world. And although we may believe we're the center, perhaps we should ask the volcanoes or the Universe. But our History, the history of humanity, is told with all its biases, and the account that has been given is so subjective that if those who lived it could whisper it in our ear, we'd burst out laughing. And crying. As happens when we listen to memories. The real ones and the ones we invented over the years. Now we know how to measure time, but when we were young, the days seemed much longer, and our goals, if we had any, were in such a remote place that they seemed impossible to grasp. Some are still there. Waiting for us. Without us waiting for them. We've stopped wanting some things to want others. It's a blessing to be able to choose our desires.

There was a time when New Year's Eve was a special day to showcase the creative talent and power of television networks. Now, welcoming the new year has become a window into decadence, exploitation, and financial desperation.

New Year's Eve celebrations resulted in 117 arrests, 27 of them for gender-based violence offenses, 46 related to property crimes, 10 for assault, one for sexual offenses, and 33 for other incidents. During last year's festivities, 10 people were arrested for gender-based violence out of a total of 75. Civil Protection, for its part, reported that during New Year's Eve, and up until 9:00 a.m. today, Thursday, January 1st, the emergency hotline received 4,358 incidents related to the New Year's celebrations. This figure represents an 8% increase compared to last year's celebrations. The calls came mainly from the Barcelonès (2,852), Vallès Occidental (578), and Baix Llobregat (415) regions, the most populated areas, and were mostly made between 2:00 and 6:00 AM. In addition, the Catalan Fire Service responded to around 100 incidents, about 10 of them to extinguish fires in homes, with no serious injuries reported.

In recent times we've sent a robot to Mars, sequenced the human genome, developed RNA vaccines in record time, detected gravitational waves from deep within the Universe, and artificial intelligence is radically transforming life as we knew it. But despite all this, we're still ringing in the New Year with the same damn bells from the last century. We live trapped in a déjà-vu The bell, a sexist hamster wheel that spins endlessly and from which rather obvious conclusions can be drawn.

It started in Australia, then Asia followed... and so, gradually, the world welcomed it in 2026 with great light and musical shows.

New Year's Eve, although I've always enjoyed it in good company, always fills me with a certain unease. Since we've been celebrating at home for decades, I can't attribute this unease to what happens outside—this absurd and tacky mix of sequined dresses bought at Temu, excessive alcohol, ghostly figures, exorbitantly priced menus, and TV programs you don't know which one to watch.

The New Year's Eve countdown is one of the biggest television moments of the year. It's a broadcast that guarantees a large audience, and therefore, it's crucial to choose the right presenters to welcome in the new year. The television lineup for 2025 ranges from well-established programs to tentative attempts at reinvention.

The room is large and spacious, with many screens on strategically placed tables. Arranged in a semicircle, they all face the same point: a wall with even larger screens displaying feeds from some of Barcelona's security cameras. They can see all the cameras in the city. This joint police control room is located on Lleida Street. During the Olympic Games, it served as the competition's server room, but for the last 20 years, it has been a nerve center for city security. Officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) and the Guardia Urbana (Barcelona's Municipal Police) are present. Next door is another room for the Barcelona Fire Department. On one screen, there is a Excel The system is color-coded: green indicates available resources, and red indicates those currently in use. Today, almost everything is green. It's a quiet day, but those in charge explain that these rooms are bustling with activity on key dates. Two important dates are coming up: New Year's Day and the Three Kings' Day parade.

Say goodbye to 2025 with a magical night in the incomparable setting ofHotel Palacio de Bellavista by URHLocated in a central location, the hotel is known for its magnificent panoramic views of the city of Girona, its elegant atmosphere, and its characteristic hospitality.URH HotelsAn exceptional setting to celebrate the New Year with all the comfort and good taste that such a special occasion deserves.