New Year's Questions for Couples
Close one year properly before starting the next.
- Players
- 2 players
- Length
- 30–60 min
- Cost
- Free · no signup
- Long distance
- Works long distance
Ready?
Close one year properly before starting the next.
- Players
- 2 players
- Length
- 30–60 min
- Intensity
- Sweet
Free · No signup · Nothing you answer is saved
How do you play New Year's Questions for Couples?
New Year's questions for couples work in two halves: an honest review of the year ending — best month, worst month, what slid — followed by what each partner wants from the next one. Doing the review first changes what people choose, and writing down the final answers gives you something to check in June.
How to play
- Do the first half — the review — before you do any planning.
- Both answer every question.
- Write down the answers to the last six. Those are the ones you will check.
- Do not turn the review into a list of grievances. It is a year, not a court case.
- Read last year's answers first if you did this before.
Why couples love this game
Doing the review before the resolutions changes what people choose. Almost everyone who honestly answers "what did you spend time on that you regret" picks a different goal afterwards than the one they had in mind walking in — and couples who do it together end up with plans that actually account for each other.
New Year resolutions fail partly because nobody closes the previous year first. You cannot sensibly decide what next year should contain while carrying an unexamined version of the one that just happened.
This deck does both halves. The first section reviews the year that is ending — honestly, including the parts that did not work — and the second decides what the two of you actually want from the next one.
It takes about an hour, which is roughly the amount of time between "we should do something" and midnight.
Example questions
- What is the first thing you think of when you think about this year?
- What was the best month, and why that one?
- What was the worst, and what got you through it?
- What did you do this year that you are proud of?
- What did you not do that you meant to?
- What changed about you?
The full game has 22 of these, shuffled every time you play.
Who this game is best for
- December 31st, or the first week of January
- Couples who make resolutions separately and never mention them
- Long-distance couples on a New Year call
- Anyone whose years blur together
Tips to make it better
- Review first, plan second. Doing it the other way round produces the same resolutions as last year.
- Write down the final six answers and put a reminder in for June.
- Keep it to one hour. This does not improve at three.
- Do it again next year and read the old answers first.
Frequently asked questions
What should couples talk about on New Year's Eve?
The year that just happened, before the one that has not. Most couples skip straight to resolutions and end up choosing the same ones as last year because nothing prompted them to look at why those failed.
How is this different from the anniversary deck?
The anniversary deck reviews the relationship. This one reviews the calendar year and includes individual goals as well as shared ones.
Should we write anything down?
The last six answers, yes. They are the ones with a next step attached, and they are worthless if neither of you can remember them by February.