Of the many fascinating and unusual New Year's traditions, the annual writing down of New Year's resolutions, these self-imposed vows to improve, revive, or otherwise completely overhaul our lives, is one of the most interesting. The exchanging of resolutions over a glass of champagne at a New Year's Eve party is almost a national pass-time.

What is it about this time of year that prompts us to try to improve our lives? Why do we go to all the trouble of writing down these impossible dreams, only to break them a few short weeks later? ...and are they truly impossible?

We've all made them, tried to keep them, and broken most of them before the first month of the new year was done and down. Some resolutions have not even survived the week in which they were made. I have written them in my diary, in a grade-school essay, and on a cocktail napkin, but no matter where they were first noted down, they rarely survived long past their initial inscription.

Popular New Year's Resolutions

These New Year's resolutions are popular year after year.

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Eat Healthy Food
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others