After a year spent in denial about how NYE would end up, most of us have accepted our inevitable fate of spending New Years at home with our immediate house members or social pods (yep, “pod” is the official term), or alone. Going to be alone? There are still plenty of ways to have a fun-filled New Year’s Eve, even if it’s a party of one. Here are a few of our tips on how to start 2021 on a high note.
Get Dressed Up
Let’s be honest, the best part of any night out is getting ready and snapping 100 pictures, so why not still integrate that into your evening in? We fully support putting on a picture-perfect outfit and showing it off around the house. If an amazing Instagram shot appears as a result, so be it.
Plan a Special Dinner
Whether it’s take-out from a trendy restaurant or cooking your favorite dish, there’s nothing wrong with pretending you spent way too much on a Michelin-starred restaurant’s tasting menu (and pocketing all that money you saved for next NYE). Light a couple of candles, put on a playlist, pull out your nicest dishware, and treat yourself like you’re entering the next best phase of your life (because you are).
Have a Countdown Plan
Whether you’ll be with a couple of close friends or family or ringing in the new year solo, make a plan with the people you love most to ring it in together. Set up a Zoom, a FaceTime, a call, or turn on the TV for the people at your house (Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is still a thing) and count it down loud and proud to add a sense of normalcy to the evening.
Champagne!
No New Year’s Eve celebration is complete without champagne. If you’re not a drinker, sparkling apple cider or a non-alcoholic brut “champagne” works just as well. The point is to create a sense of celebration. We’ve been through a lot this year. You deserve it.
Set Realistic Resolutions
If we’ve learned anything this year, it’s that nothing is guaranteed, so make your resolution with that in mind. Set attainable goals. This is a time to be kind to yourself. Ask yourself—whether this coming year allows us 100% freedom, or we have to spend some (or all) of it in lockdown—what can I accomplish this year? You’ll set achievable goals that you’re accountable for, no matter what 2021 brings.