How New Mexicans rang in the new year

From eating weird foods to running a half-marathon, New Mexicans went into the new year with a wide array of resolutions.

Some vowed to maintain sobriety while others would simply like to take their dog for a walk more often.

From adults to children, all of the dozens of resolutions people shared drew from a common desire: to live each year better than the last.

For the kiddos, 2026 came early.

On New Year's Eve, with the sun still high in the sky, a firework-like sound emanated from inside Albuquerque’s children's museum.

Inside, dozens of tiny hands popped thousands of colorful balloons just as the clock struck noon at Explora’s annual Noon Year's Eve balloon drop.

As the balloons cascaded down, hopeful children reached through the railing of the spiral staircase for their prize, while others scrambled for balloons on the museum’s ground floor.

Dressed in a disco ball bucket hat and silver tinsel, 10-year-old Nik Hofius looked up in awe at the cascading balloons. With his shimmery attire, it’s clear Hofius took the holiday seriously, even if he wouldn’t be staying up until midnight to celebrate.

Hofius knew exactly what his resolution would be for the new year: "To eat as many weird kinds of food as humanly possible,” he said, with a proud smile.

His mother, Jenna Hofius, similarly dressed in a disco-worthy silver sequined skirt, said that her goal was to “make fun art,” much like her and her son’s homemade holiday outfits.

Escaping from crowds inside, the Lavolpa family sat outside to eat lunch. Two sisters, both with freckled faces and matching highlights in their dark brown hair, contemplated their New Year's resolutions as they sat at a kid-sized picnic table beside their parents.

“I want to start jump roping and getting better at using my words,” Rho Lavolpa, 6, said.

Her older sister, Eliana Lavolpa, had different ambitions.

“I wanna get better at multiplication,” said 9-year-old Eliana Lavolpa. “I also want to be kinder and help the world."

'Start small'

On New Year's Day, grownups celebrated the holiday at 5k runs, the gym and — for the bold — in the waters of a freezing cold lake.

At Iron Soul, a powerlifting gym off Menaul and University, a handful of eager gym rats kicked off their new year with a morning workout.

Gyms are one of the busiest places on New Year's Day, as dozens of people start their year with promises to get stronger, feel better in their bodies, or lose a little weight.

For some, entering the new year with such a resolution is a time-honored tradition, but for others it’s an inevitable disappointment.

Powerlifting coach and Iron Soul's co-owner Ezra Newell said that how you frame your resolution is half the battle.

Rather than focusing on the habit you want to form, you should focus on the person you want to become, Newell said.

“To me, it's not really about running, say, three times a week,” Newell said. “It's like, you want to become a runner. You don't want to just run. That mindset change allows for some kind of leeway because when you do inevitably stumble and fall, you can’t say ‘well, I missed my week at the gym.’ Because that doesn’t mean I’m not somebody who goes to gym.”

As a longtime work-out-aholic, Newell has seen the crowds dwindle at big box gyms as the year goes on and people give up. Beyond changing how you frame a resolution, Newell advised leaning into the details.

“Start small and be specific,” Newell said. “If you say you want to go to the gym three days a week to start— what days do you want to go? What times do you want to go? Do you want to go after work or go before work?”

Specificity and reasonable expectations help you stick with resolutions until they become a lifestyle, Newell said.

Beginning training this year is Payton McCoy, who works as the gym’s receptionist.

New Year's Day she sat at the front desk, coloring in a butterfly with pencils while she waited for gymgoers to arrive for their workouts.

As the self-described “lazy one of the family” McCoy said that heavy exercise was never her thing until she got a job at Iron Soul.

“Just watching people feel good about themselves and taking care of themselves — it kind of motivated me to want to do it too,” McCoy said. “Ezra and all my coworkers talked me into it.”

People can sometimes overwhelm themselves with ambitious resolutions and McCoy tends to be one of those people, she said.

But this year, McCoy is taking a different approach.

“A lot of people get caught up in the idea of ‘oh, I want to look a certain way’ and I feel like that's also really big with girls,” McCoy said. “Growing up, I've always struggled with body image and stuff like that. So, the goal’s actually taking care of myself, making sure that I'm healthy, instead of worrying about being physically attractive.”

A chilly celebration

Instead of working up a sweat, other New Mexicans celebrated by cooling down. 

Thursday morning, 200 people dove into Storrie lake outside of Las Vegas as a part of the 30th annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Pulling his 7-year-old daughter out of the frigid water, Matthew Romero smiled wide while his body shook with shivers. 

Romero’s resolutions for the new year are “to be a better person. To teach my daughter the right way to live.”

Some participants were veterans of the annual Polar Bear Plunge, while others were newcomers.

Laura Mangrum waded out of the lake with her family, her T-shirt dripping with icy water. Mangrum moved to Las Vegas from Illinois in February and Thursday was her first time taking the plunge into Storrie lake.

Her goal for 2026?

“To have a quieter year,” Mangrum said. “To continue to settle in and get to know this place.”