def METHOD_NAME(d1, d2):
    '''Returns a valid date based on closest year to now'''
    # Since the dates in question will be hundreds of years apart, this should be easy
    if d1 == '': return d2
    if d2 == '': return d1
    year1 = int(d1[0:4])
    year2 = int(d2[0:4])
    today = datetime.datetime.today()
    diff1 = abs(today.year - year1)
    diff2 = abs(today.year - year2)
    if diff1 < diff2:
        return d1
    else:
        return d2