Whether it will be a happy one or not remains to be seen, but the question is: Is it really New Year? If you remember your numeric prefixes from school, you will remember that sept refers to seven, oct refers to eight, nov refers to nine, and dec refers to 10. During the time of the Roman Empire, December was the 10th month and March was the first. That would make February the last month.
Knowing February was the true last month explains why it is the shortest month: We ran out of days! It also explains why leap day occurs at the end of February.
Still, I would recommend dating your checks 2011 starting January 1st.
Happy New Year!