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‘I could say I’m gonna quit drinking, but I’m not’: What’s your New Year’s resolution?

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What’s your New Year’s Resolution?

2026 is here and it’s not too late for you to pick your New Year’s resolution.

Over the years, many of us have listed weight loss, getting in better shape, eating healthy or saving money as things we would like to work on.

You often hear people say they don’t set New Year’s resolutions because they don’t want to set themselves up for failure.

That’s what many people said on the National Mall when they were asked what changes they were bringing into the new year.

Meredith Wayland from Warrenton, Virginia, is trying to do something that a lot of us would say is too hard.

“My New Year’s resolution is to spend less time on my phone,” she said.

The 22-year-old was walking around the monuments with her family, including her mom.

“I could say I’m gonna quit drinking, but I’m not — that would be no fun,” joked Meredith’s mom. “So, everything in moderation and have a good time.”

While the Waylands were enjoying their day trip to D.C., Mason Gregory and Stephanie Robbins chose to spend their New Year’s in the District.

“I want to travel more,” Robbins said.

The couple from Orlando plan on spending a lot of the next 12 months traveling.

“I would really love to go to Portugal. I’m going to Amsterdam in the summer, I’d love to go to Japan,” Robbins said.

“I want to go to Portugal as well, to kind of go see where all the Knights Templar and stuff were. That stuff excites me, man,” Gregory said.

A group of friends were being shown around the city by Virginia resident Lakshmi, and she stopped in front of the World War II Memorial and said, in 2026, she hopes to be more positive.

Along with Lakshmi were her friends from California, including Aditi, who said her New Year’s resolution was to have less expectations.

“I feel like if you don’t have expectations, you’ll always find yourself pleasantly surprised,” Aditi said.

When asked if that means she is lowering the bar, she scrunched her face and replied, “No, you should still have standards.”

Unhealthy air in DC region with smoky skies from Canadian wildfires

Air quality in the D.C. region is very poor Friday, as plumes of smoke blown down from Canadian wildfires make for hazy skies that reek. A code purple air quality alert has been issued for the D.C. area and the Baltimore area, meaning that the level of air pollution is unhealthy for everyone, especially those with health issues, according to the National Weather Service. It's strongly recommended that you limit your time outside so that you don't get exposed to the heat and smoke. The thick smoke in the sky Friday is similar to what happened during the summer of 2023 when the region was under code red, purple and maroon alerts, according to 7News First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan.
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