The coming year could be either a return to civil discourse or the continued unproductive, partisan food fight we've endured in recent years. Let's aim for the former, even if most of us won't be holding our breath.

In this new year, let's forego resolutions like losing weight, exercising more, driving less aggressively and reducing bad language (the latter two being linked), because most of them don't make it past the second week of January. Instead, let's try something more global - if not more realistic - that aims for a return to relative normalcy. Anyone remember that?

OK, here goes:

•Let's start with a truce. No, not in the Middle East or Ukraine, though that wouldn't be a bad thing. How about politicians in both parties stop claiming the other candidate/party "is a threat to our democracy." By now, the claim by both sides has become a cliche that ignores the strength and resilience of our democracy. Born to our nation through bloody revolution almost 250 years ago, it has survived a civil war, two world wars, global depression, assassination of four presidents, four other presidents dying in office, four presidential impeachments, Nixon's resignation, the 1968 assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, McCarthyism, the 911 terrorist attack, and, yes, even January 6. The leading candidates for president in the coming year leave lots to be desired, but our democracy will manage to survive either one of them.

•Can we return to fundamentals in America's classrooms so young people can read, write, do math, and understand history, science and civics before we start clogging their heads with new stuff? More than half of American adults read below sixth-grade level, according to a Gallup analysis of US Department of Education data. Math and science numbers are even worse, indicating that we've lost focus. Confiscating the kids' treasured cell phones during the school day wouldn't hurt either, lest they pay more attention to their teachers and textbooks than their TikTok and Facebook accounts. And we wonder how, in a nation of 330 million people, we're headed for a Trump/Biden rematch for president.

•Let's see Connecticut state government work as hard to hire new state troopers as it did this year to expunge the criminal records of thousands of former prison inmates, including "low-level" felons. Connecticut State Police staffing has for a while been around 30 percent below the once-required minimum level of 1,248. Instead of doubling down on recruitment and retention, then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy got the state legislature to take the easy way out in 2012: they simply eliminated the minimum requirement. Brilliant! At least there's been progress since then. The state police union approved a contract a year ago that makes its members the best-paid police in the state, which should help recruitment and retention. That's a start.

•Could we please stop comparing Trump to Hitler? The comparison trivializes Hitler's evil savagery, not to mention his victims. Trump's a knuckle-dragging, blowhard, liar, bully, narcissist, sexist, cheating, insurrectionist felon (allegedly) - call him all of those if you want. Hitler built concentration camps, murdered six million innocent Jews, and dragged the world into the deadliest war in history, costing 80 million lives. It's not even close.

•Here's hoping deep-pocketed alumni continue withholding their millions until antisemitism in the eyes of ignorant college administrators rises to the level of misconduct at Ivy League and other lofty-image schools - you know, where they're supposed to be smart.

•In high school and college sports, let's go back to males competing against males and females competing against females. This idea that if you can't make the guys' team, you can identify as a female, then break records and be a star on the ladies' side is just plain wrong. Let's apply the same standard for locker rooms and bathrooms, too.

•The media doesn't get a pass on resolutions. It's time for the Fourth Estate to stop taking sides and return to objectivity, balance and substantive, factual reporting. First, media don't belong in political "camps" unless they're columnists, editorial writers or commentators - and even then, it ought to be based on sound reasoning, not whose side you're on. And, please - please! - pay less attention to Matt Gaetz, Marjory Taylor Greene, Markwayne Mullin, AOC and her "Squad," and other self-absorbed airheads. How about more print space and airtime for intelligent, thoughtful and less partisan politicians, even if they're not as "exciting" as those who would set their hair on fire for media attention.

•Finally - and yes, this will seem pollyannish - let's spend more time in our libraries, museums, and places of worship and less with our TVs, laptops and cell phones. Instead of role modeling Taylor Swift and Travis Kelcey, LeBron James or Leonardo DiCaprio, get your inspiration from community heroes like the Coast Guard Academy's Coy Spooner, New London's Debbie Phillips, Groton's Elizabeth Hogan, and the good people serving free meals on Christmas at Union Baptist Church in Mystic - all featured in The Day last week. Let's spend even a fraction of the time volunteering for a good cause as we do on social media and give as much to charity this year as we spend on a vacation - yes, even if you go to Disney World. And finally, when you go to a restaurant, leave your server a big tip. If we do these last few things, all the other stuff before them won't bother us as much anymore.

Happy New Year!