Back when we were in a friend's band, we were part of the First Night festivities in his town (he was a selectman in the town, so the band was invited to play in the evening on New Years Eve). That was generally fairly fun. The coolest NYE, though, was when we were visiting friends on the island of Bonaire, near Curacao. Folks in the Antilles islands celebrate New Years with fireworks. But the fireworks weren't put on by the towns; everyone on the island bought their own, and set them off as midnight approached. I swear some of these people spent half their income on fireworks! It was the most impressive display of fireworks I've ever seen, and it went on for hours. They were everywhere!
These days we generally stay at home. Leftover birthday cake (I'm a New Years Eve baby, Dan's a couple of days before), a mug of hot tea, and we wish each other a Happy New Year at midnight. We're warm, we're full of cake, and there are no crowds. Works for us!
I grew up in a NJ city just c a stone's throw from NYC. When my parents deemed me old enough, they would reserve tickets for a Broadway Play or movie near Times Square that would let out justbin time to join the festivities. Back then there was no live entertainment like there is now. Just throngs & throngs of people waiting for that ball to drop. It was AMAZING! No matter how cold it was we never felt cold because of all the body heat ascwe were, literally, packed in shoulder to shoulder with no space for wind or cold air to get in. There were soldiers & sailors on leave, old folks, young couples - every race and genre of humanity imaginable all there in a spirit of unity of purpose: to say goodbye to the old and welcome a New Year of hope. When that ball dropped, EVERYONE kissed & hugged EVERYONE around them! There was no fear of pickpockets or muggings - just a SEA OF GOOD WILL for our fellow humans. I was blessed to experience this 4 or 5 times & still believe that rveryone should try to do it at least once in their lifetime. There is nothing like it - nothing even comes close!
Back when we were in a friend's band, we were part of the First Night festivities in his town (he was a selectman in the town, so the band was invited to play in the evening on New Years Eve). That was generally fairly fun. The coolest NYE, though, was when we were visiting friends on the island of Bonaire, near Curacao. Folks in the Antilles islands celebrate New Years with fireworks. But the fireworks weren't put on by the towns; everyone on the island bought their own, and set them off as midnight approached. I swear some of these people spent half their income on fireworks! It was the most impressive display of fireworks I've ever seen, and it went on for hours. They were everywhere!
These days we generally stay at home. Leftover birthday cake (I'm a New Years Eve baby, Dan's a couple of days before), a mug of hot tea, and we wish each other a Happy New Year at midnight. We're warm, we're full of cake, and there are no crowds. Works for us!
Best New Year's Eves
I grew up in a NJ city just c a stone's throw from NYC. When my parents deemed me old enough, they would reserve tickets for a Broadway Play or movie near Times Square that would let out justbin time to join the festivities. Back then there was no live entertainment like there is now. Just throngs & throngs of people waiting for that ball to drop. It was AMAZING! No matter how cold it was we never felt cold because of all the body heat ascwe were, literally, packed in shoulder to shoulder with no space for wind or cold air to get in. There were soldiers & sailors on leave, old folks, young couples - every race and genre of humanity imaginable all there in a spirit of unity of purpose: to say goodbye to the old and welcome a New Year of hope. When that ball dropped, EVERYONE kissed & hugged EVERYONE around them! There was no fear of pickpockets or muggings - just a SEA OF GOOD WILL for our fellow humans. I was blessed to experience this 4 or 5 times & still believe that rveryone should try to do it at least once in their lifetime. There is nothing like it - nothing even comes close!