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The therapeutic tradition of shredding this year’s unwanted memories returns on Dec 28 with Good Riddance Day in Times Square.
Whatever grievances you have from 2019—a nasty breakup, a hefty medical bill (that you definitely paid off), a presidential Twitter rant—can be destroyed in an instant using the Times Square shredder from noon to 1pm.
“Good Riddance Day is a great opportunity to enter the new year with a clean slate,” said Jeffrey Straus, the president of Countdown Entertainment, which organizes the event with the Times Square Alliance. “All are invited to shred, destroy and vanquish their negative memories of 2019.”
Visitors to the mass shredding will write down the things they'd rather forget and slip them into the machine. New Yorkers in recent years have shredded "bad dates," "bad jobs and two-faced people," "stress," "transphobia," "excess drinking" and "sketchy strangers."
Sledgehammers and other tools of destruction will also be on hand for actual items that need some smashing.
The act of physically obliterating the garbage fires of life in 2019 sounds like a good idea to us. It’s inspired by the Latin American tradition of stuffing dolls with objects representing bad memory and setting them on fire, which is pretty metal. Plus, the person with the most “unique” story will get two tickets to see Mean Girls on Broadway, according to organizers.
If you can’t make it to the event, don’t worry. There’s still a way for you to vent your baggage. You can submit your complaints online until Dec 20 to compete for another prize! The winner of this contest will get two tickets to see the New Year’s Eve ball and go to an exclusive Times Square New Year’s Eve Party at Hard Rock Café—free and clear of 2019's nonsense.
That's not a bad way to ring in the new decade.