'Good Riddance Day' Shreds Year's Past Woes, Bad Memories In Times Square Celebration
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Some people eager to say goodbye to 2018 got their chance at "Good Riddance Day" on Friday.
The event, now in its 12th year, began at noon in Times Square Plaza between 45th and 46th streets.
Hundreds of people came out to bid farewell to bad memories from the last 12 months and get a fresh start in the new year.
"Negativity," Anisha Patel said.
"A bunch of photos of an ex-boyfriend," Ashley Pineiro added.
During this year's "Good Riddance Day," New Yorkers and tourists all wrote down and disposed of all the bad memories from this year or things they want to forget about completely.
"The 2018 New York Jets season," disappointed fan Thomas Scuderi said.
People took their bad memories and shredded them into thousands of pieces Friday afternoon.
"I have a double chin, so I shredded my double chin," Jerry Kowal said.
Some also brought bags of documents from home they no longer want around.
"Tax returns, bank statements, things like that," one person said as they shredded their past.
Carmen Payton traveled all the way from Virginia with a piece of paper that was haunting her for decades.
"A document my husband and I signed, 30 years ago, saying that we would make payments on a house," Payton explained. "We finally made that last mortgage payment."
"New Year's isn't just about starting new, its about letting go of the things that are dragging us down," Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance
As a forward-looking alternative, people can also write wishes for 2019 on confetti to rain down when the clock strikes midnight.