What are your plans for this New Year's Eve?

[aja8888]

DW just asked me this morning if I would like to go out on New Year's eve with another couple we slightly know and spend the evening at a popular restaurant that has dinner/dancing/etc and has a fairly expensive celebration package for the evening. We don't really spend time with this couple (know them from a church group that gets together twice a year).

We have not been out to one of these extravaganzas since 2000 and that was bomb in many respects. We have been staying home and having dinner, then watching the year come in on TV (if we make it that long). Kids are grown and doing their own thing on New Years.

I declined,..... and that seemed to not sit well with DW. I guess I am still on the fence and probably will cave in and be the designated driver and make like I am having fun.

What's everybody else do on this "special night", realizing that many here are introverts to some degree?

 

[friar1610]

Probably the same as the past 15 years or so: dinner at a nice restaurant on the early side so as to be ahead of the NY's Eve rush. Home and watch some of the NY's Eve stuff on TV. In all likelihood, happily tucked away for the night before the ball drops.

 

[Gumby]

We've not gone out for New Year's Eve since 1986. Typically, we'll make a nice dinner at home (maybe lamb), drink a nice bottle of wine, play our annual Scrabble match, and go to bed early. Occasionally, the town puts on a First Night fireworks display at the ball field directly across the harbor from our house, so we'll stay up late enough to see that. New Year's Day, we'll get up and make our traditional brunch of butternut squash and smoked chicken hash with poached eggs, fresh baked cranberry scones (which I make from scratch) with walnut honey butter, and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot to wash it down.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

We've not gone out for New Year's Eve since 1986. Typically, we'll make a nice dinner at home (maybe lamb), drink a nice bottle of wine, play our annual Scrabble match, and go to bed early. Occasionally, the town puts on a First Night fireworks display at the ball field directly across the harbor from our house, so we'll stay up late enough to see that. New Year's Day, we'll get up and make our traditional brunch of butternut squash and smoked chicken hash with poached eggs, fresh baked cranberry scones (which I make from scratch) with walnut honey butter, and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot to wash it down.

Wow! That meal sounds just absolutely delicious!

We've been wed for going on 23 years and dated for a couple years before that. We never went out on New Years Eve. We have a grand time staying in, eating a nice meal and drinking a bottle of Framboise Ale. I usually make it to midnight but DW never does.

But Otoh "happy wife happy life."

 

[Dreamer]

Aja8888, feel sorry for you dude. I think that your plans that you had, sound perfect.

DH and I have stayed in for many years. Sometimes DD and her family will come over and we play some games, but the majority of time we either watch a movie or TV and nothing much else. Usually stay up to midnight.

 

[Midpack]

Like the last several years, we'll make an appearance for an hour-and-a-half or so at a neighbors NYE party and on to dinner at our favorite local restaurant. We've never failed to go out for a nice formal dinner on NYE...though our anniversary is Jan 1, so we're killing two birds with one stone. There's no chance [-]I could get away with[/-] we'd ever stay home on NYE.

We used to trek to Chicago for dinner, dancing and even an overnight stay years ago - but the NYE price gouging has gotten so totally out of hand we stopped that - double the price and half the execution quality. Better to not drive so far anyway, 50 miles on NYE in snow and ice isn't very smart - even if it is our special day celebration.

 

[W2R]

What's everybody else do on this "special night", realizing that many here are introverts to some degree?

Years ago we used to spend New Year's Eve with his extended family sometimes. They all get together and blow up many thousands of dollars worth of fireworks, enough to simulate WW III. It's just over the top. But it's a long drive, we both have a hard time breathing with all that smoke, and the noise is awful. Plus, neither of us drinks (alcohol), and it's too loud to talk so there isn't much else for us to do there and it is very tiring.

So, unless we [-]get roped into that[/-] spend New Years with his family, we'll happily spend the evening at our respective homes. We'll completely avoiding the drunk drivers, thick smoke, deafening noise, and general pandemonium. My neighborhood has sort of an impromptu block party that tends to block my street, so I couldn't drive in or out very easily anyway. There will be plenty of noise and smoke, but it is much better inside; I never attend it. Frank and I will wish each other a Happy New Year via e-mail or phone. I will probably watch television coverage of the ball dropping on Times Square.

That about covers it!


As for your situation, I think you are sunk! I don't know how you can get out of that.

 

[FIREd]

We'll be hosting a small dinner for 6 this year - good food, champagne, and with that particular crowd a guaranteed good time.

 

[bingybear]

We'll be spending NYE at some old friends as we often do. It is a pot luck event with many old friends, games, pinball , etc.

 

[48Fire]

Hoping to score tickets for Billy Joel. Let me know if you have any tips

 

[Options]

Hanging out with one of my best friends in a low key dive bar somewhere, which I'll love. Like previous years, though, I'll almost definitely be asleep before midnight. I misplaced my boogie shoes long ago.

 

[golfnut]

For the last 10 yrs, we go over to our next door neighbors for dinner and cocktails (we split the cost). Dinner usually consists of turf (filet mignon) and surf (either lobster tail/or Alaskan King Crab legs). We always eat way too much but the next door hubby loves to cook on the grill. I usually knock down 2 or 3 vodka tonics, a couple glasses of wine and 1 glass of the bubbly to bring in the New Year. Nice that I can just stumble back next door. The DW might have couple glasses of wine and bubbly.

We barely make it past midnight the older we get. It's relaxed and alot of fun.

 

[travelover]

Flying home from the Wet Coast on a PM flight. It is actually a pretty good day to fly. Sometimes the drive home from the airport is kinda scarey once the drunks hit the road.

 

[Senator]

I was a bartender for many years, and New years Eve was a work night. Then, I just figured it was amateur night. Now I am the amateur...

I will stay at home, hopefully not plowing snow, and fall to sleep before the clock strikes 12, no matter how hard I try to stay up.

 

[EastWest Gal]

This year, my New Year's Eve/Day plans are to RE.

When I was young-high school/college, it was house parties at a friend's house. Those were the best. No drugs, no alcohol. New Year's Eve 1980 the man who is now DH had a party at his parents house. I was home for Christmas break from med school, scheduled to go back 400 miles away in 4 days when at the party DH asked me out on a date. We'd known each other 6 years. That date was the beginning of the rest of our lives.

From 1982-1989 DH played in a band so I went to the bar parties he played at. That got old very fast. Watching other people dance and get drunk with other band wives is not this INTJ's style. Mostly we stay home now. DH has had big band gigs the past few years, at the Elks club or a ballroom, which is the way a proper musician should spend his New Year's Eve.

This year I work and won't be home. But 7AM 1/1/15 I will be done and the champagne I bought in September will be opened. We're having steaks New Year's Day.


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[aja8888]

As for your situation, I think you are sunk! I don't know how you can get out of that.

It's not been fun around here today since I made my intentions clear this morning. I suppose tomorrow I better roll over and surrender to the pressure. Even the dog has stayed clear of me today.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Go to bed early. There's lots of football to watch the next day and the sugar bowl goes late


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[Goonie]

We'll spend 'Amateur Night' the same as any other night, have a normal supper, do a little reading, and probably watch some old western movie. The only difference in our daily routine will be to watch the ball drop in a Times Square. We're not much into celebrating holidays and such....it's just another day, or in this case, night. whoopy!

 

[outdoorgirl02]

We will have an early dinner at home with a few friends and our kids. Then everyone goes home and we relax on the couch watching the TV specials. I am typically asleep by 10 but DH wakes me up at midnight.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We don't often go out for NYE but when we do, we always have fun (as we do when we stay home, with just the two of us, another couple, or a full-fledged party as we used to throw many years ago).

Go for it, aja!

 

[aja8888]

We don't often go out for NYE but when we do, we always have fun (as we do when we stay home, with just the two of us, another couple, or a full-fledged party as we used to throw many years ago).

Go for it, aja!

I believe that's the best course of action given the situation. Maybe this extravaganza dinner/party will be better than the last time 14 years ago.

 

[38Chevy454]

I have my wife conditioned that we do not go out for any of the following holidays:
New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day.

Not because I am a stick in the mud and do not want to have fun. It is because everybody it seems goes out on these days. Why go somewhere we will have to wait much too long, have crappy service, pay too much money, and all in a too noisy place? Sorry, that is not my idea of spending a nice evening with my wife.

Go to some friend's house and have a nice dinner and hanging out with them for some time is more what we typically would do.

 

[aja8888]

I have my wife conditioned that we do not go out for any of the following holidays:
New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day.

Not because I am a stick in the mud and do not want to have fun. It is because everybody it seems goes out on these days. Why go somewhere we will have to wait much too long, have crappy service, pay too much money, and all in a too noisy place? Sorry, that is not my idea of spending a nice evening with my wife.

Go to some friend's house and have a nice dinner and hanging out with them for some time is more what we typically would do.

Will you call my wife and work your magic (something I have not been able to do)?

 

[jerome len]

Just about every "nice" restaurant overcharges for cheap wine and tasteless meals on New Year's Eve. We go out to our favorite Mexican restaurant.....early, 7pm, home by 8:30pm and to bed after the 10 pm news.......why waste money and sleep? doesn't make sense to DW or me........course, I did party a lot in my way younger days.

 

[Katsmeow]

I do not like to go out on New Year's Eve. I stay home and will probably be playing World of Warcraft when the New Year rolls in. DH will be asleep since he doesn't usually stay up that late.