What not to do on the biggest party night of the year
For many of us, New Year’s Eve is the coolest night of the year. It’s a time to let go of the past and embrace the future, a time of reflection and joyous celebration. But New Year’s Eve can also be a night of mistakes and regrets. The line between a night to remember and a night to forget is a thin one, and it’s up to you to make sure you don’t cross it.
Surely you have been around someone who has behaved badly on New Year’s Eve and ruined the festivities for everyone else. Maybe that person was a stranger or your best friend, or maybe it was you, and you’re still embarrassed about it. Either way, there are certain actions or behaviors you should avoid to have a night that is memorable for the right reasons.
Here’s a list of 11 mistakes you should never make on New Year’s Eve.
1. Drink Too Much
New Year’s Eve shouldn’t be an excuse to drink yourself into oblivion. Making a fool of yourself, throwing up and blacking out is no way to ring in the New Year, neither for you nor for your partner or friends, who have to take care of you all night and make sure you get home safe. Nobody wants to spend the countdown to midnight in the bathroom with a puking friend. So pace yourself. It’s a long night, and downing drink after drink in the first couple of hours is a recipe for disaster.
2. Drive Around
Driving on New Year’s Eve is riskier than on any other night. Even if you’re sober, many other drivers aren’t. Accidents are common. Furthermore, traffic cops will be everywhere, pulling people over for any reason. That’s something else you don’t want to be doing when the clock strikes midnight: getting a traffic ticket or your car towed. Choose public transportation, and if that’s not an option, stick to one party or event. Don’t party hop.
3. Have High Expectations
That New Year’s Eve is supposed to be a magical night that changes your life forever must be an urban legend. It must be a myth carried down from generation to generation because most of us have never met anyone who had an existentially transcendental experience on New Year’s Eve. You can reflect upon your life and make purposeful resolutions. You can enjoy the company of friends, dance and watch fireworks. But none of it will change your life on Jan 1. So go out, have fun and be thankful you can do that.
4. Attend a Party Empty-Handed
If you’re invited to a New Year’s Party in somebody’s home, always bring a gift as a way to show your appreciation to the person throwing the party. The gift could be a bottle of sparkling wine, food or party supplies such as noise makers, decorations or confetti. You could ask the host if there’s anything in particular you could bring.
5. Do Something You Will Regret
Are your fingers itching to text your ex? Don’t. Are you tempted to leave the party with an attractive stranger? Don’t. Are you dying to punch someone who is trying to pick a fight with you? Don’t. When in doubt, just don’t. Go out, have a few drinks, dance, laugh, party, and wake up the next day with nothing to regret.
6. Expect to Meet Prince or Princess Charming
Another high expectation many people have on New Year’s Eve is that they will meet their perfect mate that night. You may have seen it happen in a movie, but, although not impossible, it’s unlikely you will meet the man or woman of your dreams on New Year’s Eve. If it happens, great! But if you go out expecting or hoping for it to happen, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
7. Spend the Night with the Wrong Crowd
Don’t go out with people you don’t like for the sake of going somewhere on New Year’s Eve. It’s better to spend this night with a friend, neighbor, your dogs or alone than enduring hours with the wrong crowd.
8. Wear Uncomfortable Clothes
A pair of brand new shoes that rub your feet the wrong way can ruin your night. A tight belt you can’t adjust will torture you, especially after you eat. A strapless dress that keeps slipping down will enslave you. So think ahead when choosing an outfit for the night.
9. Go Out to Dinner Without a Reservation
New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights for restaurants. The best places get booked weeks, even months, in advance. If you hope to have dinner at a decent restaurant that night, you will need to plan ahead and make a reservation as soon as possible.
10. Bring Expensive Items Out
Avoid bringing expensive cameras, coats, designer bags, gadgets, etc., out that night unless you’re willing to lose them. The drinking, the dancing, the excitement—it’s easy to forget things or drop them inadvertently. So leave your prized stuff at home.
11. Spend It Scrolling Through Social Media
If you decide, or must, spend New Year’s Eve alone, don’t spend it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media networks, watching other people enjoying themselves and feeling like a loser for staying home. It’s self-destructive. If you can’t stand staying in, then go out. If you can’t go out, then make the best of staying in by chatting on the phone with old friends, watching movies or listening to music you love, streaming funny TV shows, reading a great book, cooking a gourmet meal for yourself, or doing anything else but being a spectator’s in someone else’s life.
Knowing what not to do on New Year’s Eve will increase your chances of having a fun night and making good memories you will cherish for years.