15 Ideas for Staying Home on New Year's Eve

Why drive? You can create New Year memories at home.

Here are 15 fun and seriously sober ideas

1.       Watch the ball drop on television while drinking beer or soda. Order pizza, make sure to tip and wish the driver Happy New Year. Tell him to drive safe. Yawn. Proceed with pity-party or go to step two.

2.       Dress up warm, go outside and look at the sparkling stars. Find a constellation or at least the belt of Orion which is an excellent starting point. There are many online sites with maps. You don't need a telescope but if you have one then use it. If you have a fire pit then roast marshmallows and make s'mores. This could be super fun and romantic too. You can find your own maps or go here: http://www.astronomytrek.com/step-5-mapping-the-night-sky-using-orion-1/

3.       Impress your friends by taking a selfie with a paper New Year party hat. Throw confetti in the air at the exact moment you snap the photo. Share with everyone. Then play online video games and later you’ll have tons of wonderful comments. If you don’t have an old party hat lying around, well here’s a link for some easy instructions. Have fun! http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Party-Hat/

4.       Drink champagne and take a nap. In fact, sleep until the morning. Dream nice dreams about all the exciting things that will happen in 2018—If you want to read about setting goals you might want to start with this link but if sleeping is your goal then count some sheep and we’ll see you next year. https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/goals

5.       Read a book and write a review about it. Post the review on Amazon. You can order eBooks for your kindle or print copies of books by going here: https://www.amazon.com/books-used-books-textbooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=283155

6.       Play an actual board game or two. My favorites are Jenga, Scrabble or Pictionary. Everyone might enjoy Twister or Battleship. This might not be the time to play the game of Life or Monopoly unless you’re planning to stay up until morning. I remember New Year’s Eve chess championships going on at our house every year. If you’re going solo, try Sudoku or Solitaire.

7.       Dance to your favorite You Tube video. Watch videos on how to dance and make up better moves. You can do it. My parents used to dance the waltz or the Tango around midnight which makes for some lovely memories. Here’s a link for a beginner’s waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDenZ1rH6GU

8.       Go in the kitchen and bake something delicious. Create delicious New Year’s Day snacks. Make it a family affair and have everyone make something special. Here’s a link for some incredible recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/193/holidays-and-events/new-year/

9.       Put on a sweater or jacket and walk the dog. Try going around the block while your mind goes back and forth about New Year’s resolutions. Should this be the year you finally do what you always wanted to do, or not? Of course it is. If you don’t share your abode with a canine, then walk anyway but carry pepper spray. Walking is the best time to clear your mind and think. It’s a special sort of meditation for me that helps me organize my goals, my thoughts, my moods and my relationships. Everything seems a bit clearer after a walk. What better time to get mentally organized, than the Eve of a New Year? It's also a good time for praying. Twelve months of gratitude have passed and twelve months are waiting for your steps. Your talents. Make your mark. Google maps have walking directions with the distance mapped out for any points of interest or streets in your area. There’s a small walking icon that you click on that will immediately tell you how far it is to walk to your destination. You might also want to make sure you have a flashlight App on your Smartphone.

10.   Pack your bag for that breathtaking vacation you’re planning to a warmer climate: January in the California desert for example, or maybe some island in the middle of nowhere. Don’t forget it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Do it. Pack up the sunblock and the swim trunks. Go. Check out this amazing link with 31 warm destinations: https://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/warm-weather-getaways#wwg-paracas-peru

11.   Give your cat a bath. This sounds complicated and it also sounds like it would take several hours. Pretty soon, it’s a new year, your cat smells wonderful and it’s still better than just sitting on the couch doing nothing but watching that ball drop. Once the cat is clean, it’s the purrfect time to sit by a cozy fire and drink some warm milk or cocoa. Here’s a video from Petco with some pointers regarding the cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W835QHC6Q8o

12.   Write a poem. If there’s no one else around then think of the blessing of being able to use this time constructively. Create a moment. Listen for the firecrackers. Reflect on the past year and think about the future. Inspire hope. When you’ve finished, consider writing a longer, epic poem or going over the first one with revisions. Read it aloud until you like the cadence or the sound of the words. Type the words poetry submissions into a Twitter search and see if there’s a magazine or anthology that might publish your poem. Maybe you’ll want to enter it into a contest. There are many poetry contests looking for good writing. One of my online friends writes a spectacular blog filled with submission suggestions and here’s the link for the contests: https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2017/12/40-writing-contests-in-january-2018-no.html

13.   Create a monthly calendar from photos and your printer. Knit a hat or a scarf. Learn a new craft from a how-to video. Crochet Chihuahua sweaters or doll clothes. I’ve never used Smilebox, but the calendar templates look easy to use. Here’s a link: http://www.smilebox.com/download-instructions.html?partner=googlee&campaign=search_us_calendar~calendar_photo_free~&origin=calendars.html&startup=Browse%20By%20

14.   Reorganize your closet. This is one of those things no one wants to do because it takes time. If you do it before the New Year, you’ll have streamlined at least one important step regarding your morning routine. I did this a month ago and even had a few boxes of clothes and books to donate. Now, when entering my closet, I know where the blue shirts and the red shirts are located. I also freed up some hangars so I can buy new stuff in the coming year. I’m fairly sure that the Salvation Army, the Goodwill and the Vietnam Veterans all have a truck and will come pick up your boxes in the New Year.

15.   Call a friend and have a nice chat. Perhaps your friend is busy standing in Times Square, waiting for that crystal ball to descend. No matter how busy your friend is, he or she will be happy to hear a ‘Happy New Year’ from you. If you have older relatives or parents who don’t live with you, I bet they’d love to hear from you before ten in the evening. Let them know you care. What about those crazy friends who take huge risks, party hard and then fall into depression? Maybe you can cheer them up, even save a life. Be the person who reaches out at the end of the year to make sure everyone remembers you. If you call someone having their own pity-party, you can give them at least these fifteen ideas on how to improve the evening. Offer to meet up in the coming year. Attempt a joke. Listen for a smile.

Happy New Year to all my friends and family members!