It’s the annual debate, usually triggered mid-October time when someone ominously puts on the group chat: What we doing NYE?
A few half-hearted, not-really-thought-that-far-ahead-yet messages later, I find with my lot the question tends to rear its head once more when we meet for Christmas Eve drinks. Aka a week prior to the occasion. Conveniently too late to spend a further £80 of my overdraft on tickets to an event which I’d probably rather not, but still far enough in advance for the question to be raised, rallied and wrangled. Here’s a rough summation of the pros and cons of not going out, not staying in on New Year’s Eve:
Going Out
The pros:
- Alcoholic beverages which extend beyond the limits of the rosé you picked up en route to pres.
- A dancefloor and music, woop.
- Higher chances of a New Year’s kiss if you’re single!!!
- Photo opportunities in da club.
The cons:
- Everything is more expensive on New Year’s. Taxis, drinks, entry fees.
- Lots of people, lots of crowd.
- The only photos which are realistically going to hit the social media sites are the ones which you take at pres before the sweat and the sentimental crying – like, you might as well have stayed in.
Staying in
The pros:
- Can still take photos which make it look like you’re about to hit the town!
- Option to change into PJs as soon as it hits midnight. And you literally only have to wear heels for the 10 minute drive to your pal’s house before they tell you ‘shoes off at the door!’
- Music channels and New Year’s playlists. Actually that could be a pro or a con. We’ll put this point in neutral territory. Unless you’re as obsessed with Drake as MTV, in which case you probably never need to leave your house again.
- Free house aka free access to parents’ alcohol stash.
- Minimal monetary outgoings, always a bonus.
- Consistent access to snacks.
The cons:
- Potentially a bit sad to find yourself dog-sitting in your friend’s mum and dad’s house aged 21 watching Jools Holland (did you know it’s filmed in June?!) whilst the over-50s are out on the town partying the night away.
- If that vase your dad got your mum for their 15th wedding anniversary gets smashed then you might as well pack your bags and recognise yourself as a self-levied orphan.
- No drink spillage under any circumstances. Especially not on the carpet in the lounge and if you do then prepare to spend the final 18 minutes of the year scrubbing with a flannel, half a bottle of Vanish and your tears.
It’s a tough call. To be honest, it probably comes down to you and how you’d choose to spend an evening. I know that in my case, like a proper sado, New Year’s is about food and drink and Jools and sitting with your friends in bed until 6am talking about a variety of existential crises until someone says ‘shall we go to sleep now?’ and then, just as you’ve settled down to sleep away the first day of 2017, being startled awake by someone else voicing up, ‘and another thing…’. But then again, to other (cooler) people, NYE is all about going out, having a few too many bevs and waking up at 3pm on January the 1st remembering nothing after the barman persuaded you that shotting tequila and apple juice in quick succession was a good idea.
No matter how you chose to spend your New Years this (last) year, we hope it was a good one and wish you all the best for 2017!