Why Staying In Is Sometimes Way Better Than Going Out

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In December, when I got a text from a friend asking what I was doing for New Year’s Eve, I responded  saying, “Mmmm, I’m thinking of doing nothing.” In no more than 20 seconds my phone vibrated: “You should be embarrassed for even thinking that,” she replied.

It’s not that I don’t like New Year’s Eve; it’s actually my favorite holiday. I love pretty much everything about it: champagne, fireworks, watching people drunkenly recite their “new year, new me” speeches, and the glitter—oh, the glitter is good. But the thing is, I never love New Year’s Eve quite as much as I think I’m going to. So this year, as a sort of experiment in managing my expectations, I decided to ring in the new year doing nothing at all, with no one at all. Spoiler alert: It was the best New Year’s Eve I’ve had in years. Five reasons why, below.

1. There was zero pressure.

That saying, “How you ring in the new year is how you will spend the next year of your life” has ruined us all. If that expression holds any truth, then the only way I want to ring in the new year is sitting on a private jet en route to Barcelona with Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Louis C.K. I want to have a glass of fancy champagne in one hand and a giant slice of pizza from Lorenzo’s (don’t judge me) in the other. Oh, and when the clock strikes 12, I want the ceiling to rain money. I want it to be the most fabulous day of my life thus far, and that’s a lot of freakin’ pressure.

But the thing is, that saying doesn’t hold any truth. This year, I realized: Just because I wanted to watch Sex and the City and eat Chinese food on New Year’s Eve, that doesn’t mean I’m bound to a lonely future of watching DVDs and eating carryout every single day for the next year of my life. And because I wasn’t tying a bazillion and one expectations to the night, I didn’t end up disappointed. In fact, I had a great time.

2. No one cried.

New Year’s Eve is not only a night where people reflect on the future, they also reflect on the past year. A lot. And much of the time, all the personal reflection leads to crying. So. Much. Crying. This year, the only crying I saw on New Year’s Eve was done by Sarah Jessica Parker—thank goodness.

3. No strangers tried to make out with me.

My boyfriend had to work on New Year’s Eve, so even if I had decided to leave my house, he wouldn’t have been my midnight kiss. And there is really nothing worse than dodging a kiss from a stranger. Nothing. Worse.

4. I got to watch fireworks from bed.

As I mentioned above, I am a big fan of fireworks. And this year, I watched them, not outside in the freezing cold, but from under the covers in my bed. Granted, they were small fireworks being set off in Fishtown, but hey—fireworks are fireworks.

5. For once, I actually enjoyed January 1st.

I usually wake up on New Year’s Day with a killer headache, a serious craving for McDonald’s hash browns (shameful—I know) and a desire to do absolute nothing. Because, well, champagne. But this year, I woke up bright and early, made my very own hash browns from scratch and joined in on the Mummer’s Parade festivities for the first time ever. So, not only was it the best New Year’s Eve I’ve had in years—it was the best New Year’s Day I’ve had in a while.

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