When December 31 rolls around, it is met with a mixture of dread and depression from the vast majority of people.
Even though you have made exciting plans, it is commonly thought that New Year’s Eve is the most disappointing time of the year and is always a let down.
And don’t get me wrong, I certainly have had my fair share of awful New Year’s Eves.
I will never forget the time where I got lost in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, wandering around in the early hours of the morning and in no state to find the way back to my hotel.
And then there was the year where I passed out in my friend’s downstairs toilet, sodden by sick and tears after downing a bottle of prosecco.
Naturally I have also gone clubbing on the big night and learnt that a certain bar in Derby is actual hell on Earth on the last day of the year.
But despite all this, I look forward to celebrating the end of the year as even if it does end badly, New Year’s Eve will always be the best holiday.
Everyone celebrates differently but a few things are always guaranteed and no matter what you may think, it is not that it will be a let down.
With the year coming to a close, it is the perfect time to reflect on what has happened the past 12 months and remember all the good rather than the bad.
Of course being British we naturally focus on how the past year has just been the worst for us, but there would have been highs as well as lows and these moments deserve to be toasted on New Year’s Eve.
With your friends and family you can laugh over all the ridiculous things you have done together and look forward to what is to come the following year.
And if you have made mistakes, well as cliche as it sounds the new year is the perfect time to make a change and even if you don’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions, well at least you put some thought into them and that counts right?
Every year ends with a bunch of drunk people clasping onto each others’ sweaty hands attempting to sing along to Auld Lang Syne, a key tradition for New Year’s Eve.
Sure we don’t know the words but coming together with friends, family and strangers to sing and sway along to the same song is just magical.
Deriving from a 1788 Scots poem by Robert Burns, the song calls for us to preserve and appreciate our oldest and dearest friendships. How sweet!
Scotland is definitely the best place to be for New Year’s Eve as the holiday there is known as Hogmanay and it is even bigger than Christmas.
Not only are there the usual fireworks, a marching band and bagpipes as the clock strikes midnight, but there are also plenty of other customs such as fireball swinging and gift-giving that makes New Year’s Eve just magnificent.
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen all hold famous all-night celebrations which are known to be some of the best and largest in the world.
But if Scotland isn’t your cup of tea, although you will be missing out, there are other places in the world where New Year’s Eve parties are done right.
If you can get over the tiny fact that it will be crowded, Sydney and Times Square in New York are two of the most popular destinations in the world to go to on New Year’s Eve thanks to their incredible fireworks displays and parties.
And if you can’t afford to go abroad, many cities in the UK also make a big deal out of the holiday including London and Manchester.
I’m not saying that you need to do something big to enjoy New Year’s Eve though – just make sure that you are with people that you love and that you make it a night to remember.
There is no shame in having a quiet night in watching all eight Harry Potter films while sipping on champagne and nibbling away at biscuits.
If this is what you want to do, then do it. Whatever you think you will enjoy the most, will be the best way of celebrating the holiday.
If you are surrounded by people you love, have plenty of yummy food and drink and reflect on the best things that have happened the past year, trust me, you are doing New Year’s Eve right.
Make sure you end the year with a bang!
