Hi there, everyone getting ready for 2026!

Our New Yorker of the Week is Camille. She’s in her 30s, lives in Brooklyn, and is looking for friendship. Email her at [email protected] if you’re interested in getting to know her.

As always, you can submit your events for free here and your paid ads here. (Great if one of your new years goals is to promote your business more.)

Now, onto the goodness:

How would someone who loves you describe you?

Loyal, caring, ambitious, drama free, empathetic, supportive, and creative.

What sorts of things do you want to do with your friends?

Dance salsa / bachata / zouk, travel, snowboard, try delicious new cuisines, make vision boards, go to interactive shows, improv, hike, dress up to hit the town, and exercise (yoga, pilates, pole dance, or try some new fitness craze)

What's something that people might not guess about you?

I have fostered about 40 puppies - which anyone who previously knew me would never guess because I used to have an irrational fear of dogs of all sizes (big and small).

Anything else that the Joy List community can help you with?

I am fundraising for my second feature film, Squad Goals, a romantic comedy about the messy, hilarious, wacky, and beautiful business of making friends as an adult, and the importance of authentic connections. We recently wrapped on the film and need help to get through post production. Any amount helps get us over the line. You can find out more about the project and support at www.squadgoalsfilm.com

Gatherings

Double check details before you go, and contact the organizers with questions! The Joy List does not run these events.

Wednesday, December 31: New Year’s Eve Sit

Join our Guiding Teachers and the NYZC sangha for a special online and in-person evening of zazen (short periods of sitting meditation), a dharma talk, and the ringing of the great bell 108 times to honor our vows for 2025.

$25. 6 to 8:30 PM. New York Zen Center and on Zoom. Info here.

Wednesday, December 31: New Year’s Eve Sit (Another One!)

Our annual New Year’s Eve sit returns to Boundless Mind Temple, our Brooklyn location. This is a meaningful alternative to traditional New Year’s celebrations—no crowds, no alcohol, just presence, community, and intentional ritual to welcome the new year. All experience levels welcome — no meditation experience necessary

$25-$80. 8:45 PM to 12:05 AM. Boundless Mind Temple. Info here.

Wednesday, December 31: Gaia NYE

Join us for an evening of spontaneous harmonies, soulful songs, and playful explorations of rhythm and melody!

Say farewell to 2025 and greet 2026 with song, movement, and togetherness. We'll warm up our voices and bodies, celebrate individual offerings during a collaborative open mic, and spend the final hour of the year in an unbroken, improvised circle song. As we head into a new year, you'll be invited to reflect, dream, rejoice, grieve, and anything in between. Come alone or bring a friend!

$15-$35. 9 PM to 12:30 AM. Arts On Site. Info here.

Thursday, January 1: New Years’s Polar Bear Plunge

Celebrating our 123rd year, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club New Year’s Day Plunge welcomes thousands of BRRave souls from NY and all around the globe to check off one of the "coolest" events on their bucket list! A great way for everyone to get involved in supporting our local non-profit organizations, every dollar donated helps make a difference!

Coney Island, located at the southernmost tip of Brooklyn, is a proud and resilient community home to more than 50,000 residents. Yet, with nearly one in three families living below the poverty line, continued support is vital to help our neighborhood thrive. Each year, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s New Year’s Day Plunge raises essential funds for local nonprofits that strengthen our community. The Polar Bear Club carefully selects recipient organizations whose work includes offering free public programming, educational opportunities for local youth, workforce development initiatives that connect residents to jobs, and advocacy for clean water and ocean conservation through environmental education. Benefiting groups include the Alliance for Coney Island, Coney Island History Project, Coney Island Library, Coney Island USA, the New York Aquarium, and others dedicated to preserving, educating, and uplifting this beloved seaside community.

Donation-based. 11 AM to 1 PM. Coney Island. Info here.

Saturday. January 3: Restorative Contact

Restorative Contact is a mindful touch and movement practice for grounding and relaxation. This workshop is strictly non-sexual and centers mutuality, agency, and presence. Joining with a chosen partner can be a great way to deepen a pre-existing relationship—romantic or platonic; Individuals are also welcome to sign up solo and will be partnered upon arrival. Through this gentle attunement practice, participants often discover a renewed sense of calm and connection—to themselves and to others. Many leave feeling more grounded, present, and open, with effects that linger well beyond the session, whether working with a familiar or new partner.

$50. 6-8 PM. 200 Columbia street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Info here.

Sunday, January 4: "Used To Be Young x When We Were Young" - Miley Cyrus x Adele | ODC

Gaia Music Collective's One-Day Choir series is an opportunity to sing in a choir for one day only. A celebration of song and the connective power of singing in harmony. An opportunity to build community, make some new friends, and raise our powerfully diverse voices as one.

No auditions. No commitment. No need for perfection.

Just the joy of creating something bigger than ourselves with a room full of beautiful humans!

Donation-based. 2:30 to 5:30 PM. Judson Memorial Church. Info here.

Is your new year’s goal to get strong?

Jillian, The Joy List lady, here.

I recently started working with a personal trainer to help me learn the basics of Hyrox. (Look it up and be terrified.)

As someone with a complicated history with food/body stuff, I’ve always been hesitant to work with a male trainer… or honestly, any trainer.

But this guy? He’s thoughtful, he listens, and is great with any kind of mobility issues. I’ve already learned so much about my body and feel way more confident in the gym.

I’m plugging him here because he’s a delight… AND I get a comped session for every referral. (A girl loves a perk.)

So! If you want:

• a trainer who is kind, not bro-y

• someone who meets you where you are

• or you want to learn Hyrox basics without embarrassment
  
  I’m happy to make an intro.

That's it for this edition. Sending hugs.

Stay cozy,

Jillian

Submit your event here.