Middle schooler Greg Heffley thinks that he is pretty much perfect and makes a New Year’s resolution to “help other people improve” (1). He notices that none of his family members stick to their resolutions. His mom, Susan, neglects her workout plan; his dad, Frank, neglects his diet; his little brother, Manny, can’t let go of his binkie; and his older brother, Rodrick, doesn’t even make a resolution. When Greg’s family members react poorly to his attempts to make them improve, he abandons his resolution.

Greg looks for ways to get a little extra sleep in the morning before school without getting in trouble. He digs out a plush bathrobe that his mom got for Christmas and wears it. He thinks back to his disappointment at Christmas when he received books and clothes rather than toys. Uncle Charlie gave him a laundry hoop designed to gamify tossing your laundry in the bin. Greg had to explain that his mom actually does all his laundry, which inspired Mom to make Greg do his own laundry from then on. Greg remains bitter about the Christmas presents and feels that his efforts to butter up his relatives amounted to nothing.