New Years Eve can be a time of joy, celebration and fun, but it can also be a time of embarrassment and regret.
How many times have you seen one of your friends (or yourself) act like a complete idiot on New Years, do or say something inappropriate, or just ruin the party for everyone. Try to avoid being the drunken assh*le or the girl who makes out with your best friends’ ex this New Years and follow these tips for a fun, safe, celebration!
1. DON’T Drink So Much You Puke.
There is nothing more disgusting than someone throwing up at a party. Obviously in college, there is always SOMEONE puking whether it is you, a friend or a random person who refuses to come out of the bathroom, it’s almost inevitable.
What you have to do is remember to pace yourself. Don’t take 5 shots in a row without drinking water in between or eating something first, during, or after. If you pace yourself, not only will you remain in control and be able to enjoy yourself, but you will be able to stay up later, be able to hold/remember conversations with your friends, and you will be making tons of memories.
If you drink so much that you end up spending the night in the bathroom or passed out somewhere, you will miss out on all the festivities associated with the night; staying up late, waiting for the clock to strike 12, and having a blast long into the night!
2. DON’T Wear Something Uncomfortable.
The last thing you want to do on New Years is spend the night adjusting your tie or pulling up your strapless dress. Instead of opting for sexy (or formal), go for something trendy, but comfortable enough so you will still be able to dance, play games, and enjoy yourself.
If you know you hate wearing heels, do you really think strapping on those black, 6-inchers will make your feet feel good by midnight? No, they won’t. Your feet are going to be killing you and you will miss out on dancing or doing all of the things that require moving around.
3. DON’T Force Others to Drink.
If you drink like a fish on a regular basis, do not try to convince others to keep up with you. By forcing others to take shots or pound their drinks will only ruin their night, not yours. If you know one or several of your friends don’t drink a lot or are light-weights, the last thing you want to do is encourage them to get wasted.
Yes, I know it is New Years, but there is more to this holiday than just drinking. You having a good time shouldn’t depend on how wasted other people are. If you want to drink that much, that is your prerogative, not someone else’s.
4. DON’T Mess With the Music.
If you have been invited to a party (this is especially true if you are not good friends with the host), do not take it upon yourself to change or attempt to control the music. Unless you are asked to do so or someone values your taste in music, do not jump into the DJ booth, grab the iPod, and put on Enya.
Believe it or not, people can be VERY touchy with their music; they don’t want to hear that the music they have chosen sucks or that you can do a better job. If you really hate the music, ask if there is a list of suggested songs or requests and put a couple of yours on there. I am telling you right now, if you wan’t to make enemies at a party, the way to do it is to try and change the music.
5. DON’T Be Annoying.
Yes, New Years means having fun, drinking, celebrating, and breaking out noise-makers, but this does not give you or anyone else permission to spill drinks on others, become a sloppy drunk, cause a scene at the party, yell at others, blow a horn in someone’s ear or throw food at people.
If you can’t handle acting your age when you consume alcohol, save everyone the trouble and don’t drink.
6. DON’T Drive.
The last, and I mean LAST, thing you should ever do on New Years is DRIVE! This is the worst idea ever for a few reasons. Even if you are sober and haven’t had any alcohol all night, cops will be crawling the streets looking for people who are leaving parties, driving drunk, or who seem “up to no good,” so save yourself the trouble of being pulled over and stay wherever you are.
By putting yourself on the road, you are not only risking getting pulled over yourself, but you could get hit by someone else who is driving drunk. If you have been drinking, you could cause an accident, or worse, harm yourself or those in your car.
7. DON’T Walk in Empty-handed.
Unless you are paying money to attend a party/bar, you should always bring something as a way to show your appreciation to the person throwing the party. Whether you bring a bottle of wine/champagne, a baked-good, or some kind of appetizer/food, you should always try and bring something.
Not into cooking? Maybe you put together the playlist for the party, you could bring confetti and noise-makers, or maybe some other form of decorations as a way to say “thank you” to your host. If you forget to bring something, the next best thing would be to offer to help clean up that night or the next morning. If the person throwing the party is gracious enough to not only host the party and provide drinks/food, you should at the very least offer to help clean.
8. DON’T Do Something You Will Regret.
Whether this means kissing an ex at midnight, hooking up with your friends’ ex, leading someone on that you don’t really like, or getting into a fight with someone, you don’t want to “go there” this New Years Eve.
Whatever regrettable thing you do this holiday will not only be etched into your memory forever as “the New Years I did (such and such)” but everyone at the party will remember it for the same reasons.
You want to look back on every New Years with fond memories of friends, family, and good times, not the time you got naked and ran around the house singing karaoke.
9. DON’T Bring Expensive Items Out.
If you have a new camera, cell phone, video camera, coat, or whatever, do NOT bring it out unless you want to run the risk of losing it. I have lost so many things that I love not only on New Years, but going to parties in general.
If you value your things and know you tend to get sloppy/forgetful when you are drunk, do not bring them out. This also goes for borrowing other peoples’ things.
If your sister is nice enough to let you borrow her new camera, DO NOT bring it with you. The risk of losing something valuable that does not belong to you is way too high on New Years. I am not saying your friends are going to steal your stuff, but things can get misplaced, lost, or be the victim of mistaken ownership (i.e. – you and your friend have the same camera).
Leave your stuff at home and only bring out stuff you don’t care about.
10. DON’T Forget to Make Some Memories.
Everyone is so caught up in planning the New Years celebrations that people tend to forget to have fun. If you are throwing the party, stop worrying whether or not everything is perfect, if there is enough food, if your guests are going to think your house is dirty, or whatever, and start having fun.
If you are attending, stop stressing about what you are going to wear, who you are going to kiss at midnight, and where you plan on sleeping and just have a good time.
New Years only comes once a year so make it count; stop stressing, start partying, and make some memories with your friends!
