Unlike most winter holidays, which are presented as time to catch up with family and stay cozy and warm, New Year’s Eve has gained a reputation for being prime party time. From bundling up to brave the cold at the ball drop at Times Square to searching for a stranger to kiss, it seems that going out is the norm on New Year’s Eve. And frankly? It shouldn’t be.
If you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, you should be allowed to. Why is there so much pressure to go out and party right at midnight? A lot of it boils down to what we’re exposed to on social media — think: Snapchat and Instagram stories full of party shots, posts of people pouring champagne and ringing in the new year together. Even if you’re not inclined to go out often, seeing these images might make you want to. A 2020 study found that social media addiction can increase feelings of FOMO among college students. And with holiday FOMO already in full swing, it’s natural to expect some peer pressure around making New Year’s Eve plans.
Maybe my disinterest in New Year’s parties stems from my own introversion, but at least I’m not alone on that front: at least in the UK, Gen Z is three times more likely to describe themselves as introverts than extroverts, according to findings from Facebook’s Insights Live webinar in September 2020. And in a society where everything from schools to workplaces seem to be catered to the needs and interests of extroverts, I’m going to jump on the chance to avoid the extroverted activities I can actually avoid. Many people like to conflate introversion and loneliness, but they’re simply not the same — in fact, alone time is important for personal growth and learning about ourselves. How fitting for a holiday centered around self-reflection.
Speaking of, New Year’s party peer pressure is also likely a factor of the frenzy around our desire to find meaning in the holiday itself. We see New Year’s Eve not only as a celebration of what we’ve accomplished in the past twelve months, but also an omen for the next twelve to come. While setting intentions or resolutions for the new year can be helpful guiding forces, and it never hurts to try to manifest good things for yourself, this can bleed into an expectation for New Year’s itself as a magical starting point at which your life changes for the better. If I’m not living my best life flirting with people or showing people on social media that I’m surrounded by friends who love me, we think, aren’t I inherently starting off 2022 on the wrong foot?
In reality, New Year’s is just another night; it doesn’t contain magical properties. And after you’ve spent an entire year getting burned out and trying to cope with a world that keeps changing, you deserve a moment of quiet rest before running full-speed ahead into the next lap of the race. It’s not like you’ll go unkissed and friendless for the rest of 2022 just because you spent the first few hours of it alone on your couch.
I personally spend New Year’s watching the ball drop on New York time from California, and then listening to “New Year’s Day” by Taylor Swift at midnight. Some years, I write out things I want to do in the new year, or lessons I want to keep from the year that just passed, but it’s not something I do with high expectations, and certainly not something I post on social media. If you want to go out, go out! But if not, give yourself the night in that you need. Let’s make New Year’s casual — after 2021, we could all use the break.