For every reason to go out, there's a million more to stay home on New Year's Eve. Sure, you might have sworn off celebrating milestones from inside your four walls after lockdown, and if you're like me, you probably have a crippling sense of FOMO at the very hint on unmade plans. But there are worse things. For example, that last minute scramble to find a party at 11:43pm only to end up at the house party of a distant acquaintance who promises big things, but winds up being a grand total of six people you don't really know nor do you particularly like sitting in a circle, pretending they're having fun. Bleak, if you ask me.
So take matters into your own hands. Be the smug friend that declares they're skipping the festivities this year. Or better yet, become entirely uncontactable. We've already created a guide for going out on New Year's Eve, this one is for those who prefer to toast 2023 ensconced in their home.
Host a dinner party
No one likes offering to host the house party. At least, no one who values getting their bond back. But when the options to go out are scarce, the pressure to put it all on the line for a good time is palpable. This is where the dinner party comes in. Dinner parties are intimate by definition – anyone who expects you took cook a meal for upwards of 15 people is insane, let's leave that skill to the ethnic mothers. You can select who comes. You decide on the vibe. You don't have to leave the house. The best part is you also get to rebrand as a humanitarian, and hopefully this charitable act will attract good karma in the year ahead.
Watch a movie
If the good lord didn't want us to pass the time living vicariously through others, he wouldn't have invented the movie. Pick a New Year's Eve-adjacent film from this list or a different one entirely and ignore the minutes ticking over past midnight.
A night of self-care
A friend of mine recently said that FOMO hits the hardest between the hours of 4pm and 9pm. Once you're clean and comfortably tucked in your bed, you'll realise how disgustingly happy you are with your choice to stay in and save money. I quite agree. Put on a face mask, pour a glass of your favourite drink and allow yourself to wallow in all the simple pleasures. We might be ringing in a New Year, but that last one was brutal.
Journal
Some people prefer to go out in an alcoholic, hedonistic blaze of glory, others need time to process. The final night of the year can be a good time to reflect on all that's come to pass, along with setting your intentions for the year ahead. You can do this by setting a New Year's resolution or, as has become more popular, creating one of the "more and less" lists. Alternatively, you can jot down what you're thinking and feeling in the moment, which is always an insightful gift for your future self.
Invite your nearest and dearest over
This might be your chosen family, this may be your actual family. The point is, invite the people over who have zero expectation for you to dress up, the ones who you can sit around a table playing board games or cards with while the fireworks pop off in the background, and you all snack on whatever food is lying about, feeling content. Forget midnight kisses, soft love is the kind of bond we hope to strengthen under the moonlight of a New Year.
Forget lolling around the house, you want to be around people and action and adventure on NYE! This is the list for you, otherwise we recommend following your nose.
Image: Pinterest
