Do you know that there are THREE Russian-language versions of the “Jingle Bells” song? In addition to the more grown-up version from the video above, here are the texts of two more. 

Three days into новый год (the new year), how are you doing with your новогодние решения (New Year resolutions) also known as новогодние обещания? Have you made any? Have you broken any yet?

Have you ever promised yourself to начать новую жизнь в новом году (to start a new life in the New Year)? Except who can ever start anything new on первое января (January 1^st). Нет, нет и ещё раз нет! (No, no and once again no!). This day is reserved for sleeping in, nursing hangovers and finishing the leftover салат Оливье (Russian potato salad known in Russia as the Olivier salad). That is if you celebrate the New Year как положено (as expected).

Of course, you can skip all the excessive noise, eating, drinking and merriment, go to bed early and be свежий, как огурчик (as fresh as a cucumber) on the first day of the year. You also probably earn a reputation of a person with whom и Новый год по-человечески не встретишь (can’t even celebrate the New Year properly; lit: humanly).

Fortunately, 2012 is a year that lets you и на ель влезть, и зад не ободрать (lit: both to climb up a pine tree and not skin one’s rear end; less literally – “to have your cake and to eat it too).  After all, January 2 falls on a Monday this year.

If you поставили перед собой цели (set goals for yourself) this year, then you likely already read полезные советы (helpful tips) on как эти цели достичь (how to reach these goals). I thought, maybe writing them down in Russian would help you to a) strengthen your resolve and/or at least b) teach you some useful phrases.

So I did a quick search online and found out that some of the most popular New Year resolutions include:

• Снизить вес or похудеть (lose weight)
• Прийти в лучшую физическую форму (become more physically fit)
• Придерживаться бюджета (stick to a budget)
• Избавиться от долгов (get out of debt)
• Проводить больше времени с родными и близкими (spend more time with family and friends; lit: with our kin and those close to us)
• Найти родственную душу (find a kindred spirit) or любимого человека (one’s love), hopefully this being one and the same person
• Бросить курить (quit smoking) or бросить пить (quit drinking)
• Найти лучшую работу (find a better job)
• Научиться чему-нибудь новому (learn something new)
• Стать организованнее (become better organized)
• Научиться справляться со стрессом (learn how to deal with stress) or уменьшить уровень стресса (lower stress level)
• Больше помогать другим (help others more)

Does this sound like something you are attempting to accomplish this year? So how do you say “This year I want to…”?

В этом году я хочу… then add any of the above options, except for #9, and you are good to go.

#9, the “to learn something new” goal is a bit tricky since you typically would want to specify what it is you are trying to learn. But never fear and meet the challenge head on by saying:

В этом году я хочу + научиться + infinitive of the verb that describes what it is you plan on learning plus any clarifying words.

В этом году я хочу научиться рисовать (This year I’m trying to learn to draw)

В этом году я хочу научиться водить гоночные машины (This year I’m trying to learn to drive race cars)

If you already know how to do something, but would like to learn how to do it better, you’d say

В этом году я хочу научиться лучше рисовать (This year I’m trying to learn to draw better)

В этом году я хочу научиться лучше говорить по-русски (This year I’m trying to learn to speak better Russian)

Of course, есть шанс (chances are) that you have made a resolution or several that don’t fall under #1-12 above. Unless it’s something сверх-секретное (super-secret) or очень приватное (very private), let me know what it is вы хотите сделать в новом году (you would like to accomplish in the New Year).