Some consider the New Year to be a family holiday and prefer to celebrate it surrounded by several generations of relatives. For some, the celebration is associated with noisy parties with friends or in clubs and restaurants. But one way or another, it is customary to celebrate the New Year in a team.
Even tips on how to celebrate the holiday alone relate mainly to how to avoid this loneliness. The authors recommend going on a trip and celebrating the New Year with fellow travelers on the train, or going outside and congratulating passers‑by, or somehow embedding yourself in the community.
But you can celebrate alone in such a way that it will be joyful and pleasant to remember it. If the idea seems questionable to you, here are some tips that may change your attitude.
Usually, if a person has no one to celebrate with, it is perceived as something very sad. People are looking for at least someone they can join—it doesn't matter who.
But a lonely New Year is not as scary as it is painted. If you look at it, there is no tragedy in this. There are many things that we do because that's the way it's done. For example, we are looking for a company for a celebration. But accepted does not mean good for you.
I was alone in 2015. I don't remember why, but somehow it happened. During the day, I congratulated relatives and acquaintances by phone. Then I bought some food in the evening and watched Game of Thrones. It was quite fun. However, the series is boring.
I can't say that I would like to repeat this experience, but I will take it calmly. But without "Game of Thrones"! If circumstances develop so that I have to celebrate the New Year alone, I would like to do it abroad, for example in Seoul or Tokyo. Or play a cool video game at night.
Sometimes staying at home and doing something interesting is much more enjoyable than spending an evening with random people or forcing yourself to have fun.
Once it was a difficult year, a lot of trips, a lot of communication. I realized that my organizational skills had all gone to work, I had no strength and desire to look for someone to meet, what to entertain. As a result, I cooked a bunch of everything and watched my favorite TV shows all night. From three o'clock I also took duty on the news feed — it was interesting: it seemed like a holiday, and to earn extra money, and to help out colleagues. Then I slept well. And on the first of January, in the afternoon, my husband returned from a trip.
Let's face it: it's not so easy for the average person to celebrate the New Year alone. Therefore, when we talk about such a holiday, we talk theoretically. But in practice, it may turn out to be completely different. If you have a chance to check how it is at all, why not do it? It's curious!
A few years ago, I decided to arrange an experience for myself — to celebrate the New Year alone in another city. It probably sounds strange, but I liked it. I went to Moscow for all the New Year holidays and did only what I wanted, even wrote a special list in my diary. I lived alone and got high: I went to performances, exhibitions, to the cinema (I remember when the restored version of "Gone with the Ghosts" was launched Miyazaki), walked, met with friends, cooked. In general, it was such a therapeutic week for myself.
On December 31, it looked something like this: in the afternoon I arrived from St. Petersburg to Moscow, cooked my favorite herring under a fur coat, went to the theater in the evening, after a little walk, bought champagne and went to celebrate the new year 2019 to the concert "I will sing my music" on "Rain". I drank a glass of sparkling wine, danced, sang songs, called my family, looked at the fireworks from the balcony and went to bed. The sensations were unusual. At the same time, I did not feel any oppressive loneliness, I really wanted to spend this holiday alone with myself.By the way, not everyone understood this joke. Some friends were surprised and sympathetic to the news that I was celebrating the New Year alone, and stubbornly offered to join them. And I consciously wanted to try exactly this format. As a result, this holiday turned out to be the most unusual and somehow special, the memories of it still warm me.
When a lot of people get together, you have to negotiate something, look for compromises. One wants an olivier with an apple, the other without, the third wants a completely different salad. Someone likes to watch "The Irony of Fate", someone "Harry Potter", and someone associates the New Year exclusively with "Toothpicks". When you are alone, only your opinion matters.
I celebrated the New Year alone several times, and these were the best holidays. There was no need to adjust to anyone, to please, to worry that I was "not like that" again (not a party girl, sad, whatever), no disappointed expectations. Both times I cuddled with cats, watched New Year's movies until midnight and went to bed.
I would always do this, but since my husband has changed, it doesn't work anymore. But with him, we just celebrate the New Year itself, and then he goes out to hang out with friends, and I go to sleep.
When I was all alone, I had an awesome feeling that I was celebrating a holiday in the best company for myself: with an undemanding calm person who expects nothing from me — with myself. And together with me, we can light a garland, open sparkling wine, turn on "Christmas holidays" and get high.
Communication takes effort. We listen to others, and this often drowns out our own voice. A holiday alone is also a great reason to think about yourself and your desires, about pleasures, about the future.
Two years ago, I was too lazy to gather people myself, and I had no desire to go to someone. I decided to spend the holiday alone. It was a little unusual and sad at first. But then I thought that my mood depends on me and I can make a holiday myself. I soaked in the bathroom for an hour, put on a dress, bought delicious cheese, a good chocolate bar and a bottle of wine, watched "Old Songs about the main thing" on YouTube, sang, danced and wrote my goals and desires for the next year. Then I went to bed. It was one of the best New Years.
Being alone in an apartment does not necessarily mean spending the whole holiday alone. There is a phone, messengers, video communication. And they allow you not to be limited to one company, but literally travel the world without getting up from your chair.
I met the New Year alone once. I thought through the concept, made a New Year's table, turned on the music, danced. Praise be to high technology, because I called everyone, talked to people in all chat rooms. It feels like I've deceived the space and visited several companies at once! One of the best holidays!
The mindset that as you meet a year, you will spend it, is strong. But superstition aside, the night from December 31st to January 1st is completely ordinary. And if the soul asks for fun in the team, it can be scheduled for any other day.
I celebrated the New Year alone several times. The first time was before 2019. I don't remember why it happened, but I bought myself various favorite food, wine, chatted with my parents and friends on the phone, watched "Real Love" and went to bed at one in the morning. I also met 2021 alone, because it was our first New Year with a dog, and I couldn't leave him at home amid volleys of fireworks. I went according to the standard scenario: favorite food, wine, beautiful pajamas, friends in Zoom. I turned on "Cinderella" in the background, sprinkled with sequins and was generally happy with life. But on January 1, 2, 3, I walked around the guests and delivered Olivier, whom I literally cooked a whole pot for some reason, and it was very cool.
The most exciting thing about this is waking up on January 1 in the morning, having breakfast slowly, realizing that you are at home, your head does not hurt, you can continue to have a great rest.
Have you had the experience of meeting the New Year alone? Share it in the comments.
