Once the clock strikes twelve, Instagram is automatically filled with photos upon photos of people celebrating the New Year and some of us can’t help but experience serious FOMO. For the last nineteen years of my life, I’ve spent New Year’s Eve with my family because, in case you don’t know, Russian New Years is usually a big deal. (Here's a slightly exaggerated article about it.) But this year was drastically different. For the first time, I was invited to two parties and one of the many dilemmas I had were choosing between the two. Spending NYE away from home also meant figuring out how I would get back home on one of the busiest nights of the year. And, calling an Uber that would cost at least four times the normal rate seemed like a bad idea but I considered it nonetheless.
One of my closest friends whom I haven’t seen since the summer when she went out-of-state for college, was back in NY for the Winter Break and honestly I was surprised she invited me to her NYE party. She was hosting it at her house, and since I’ve known her since childhood and she lives only a few blocks away from our old apartment, my parents were more than okay with letting me go to her party. They figured it would be best for me to sleep over, but it wasn’t an option I was comfortable with. It wasn’t going to be like the sleepovers we had when we were kids; we had grown apart and staying over just didn’t feel right.
Going to her party also meant I would have an awkward run-in with my ex-best-friend, whom I haven’t seen in over a year. But I was willing to push the awkward tension aside, to have a fun time and enjoy the party my friend had put a lot of effort into.
Post New Year’s Eve you're either too drunk to remember most of the night, or you’re very sober and you remember everyone’s craziness. As for me, it was the closest I had ever gotten to being drunk. I can’t recall how many cups I had of Vodka Punch and it went down so nicely it didn’t feel like I was drinking a lot of alcohol. The night went by very quickly but I definitely remember it being filled with plenty of dancing, laughs, photographs in the cold, and some weird rounds of Cards Against Humanity.
Overall, NYE went by better than I expected, despite the fact that I was an hour late to a party that was supposed to last only five hours. My friend told me it would probably end between 1 and 2 am but to no surprise it did not. By 3 am, people started to disperse, and only those who were planning to stay over had remained so I knew it was time for me to go. I was extremely fortunate that I was able to get a car that arrived within five minutes and it cost me less than $50. What a night.
It was truly memorable. I’m very glad that I went.
Oh! I almost forgot—The infamous New Year’s Kiss. Kissing someone you love at midnight. My friend decided since most of her guests were girls, and most of us were wearing lipstick, we would be each other’s New Year’s Kiss. Within five minutes, my friend, the hostess, had her whole face covered in red kisses. She gave me one on my cheek as well as the other girls, so even if we couldn’t remember most of the party in the morning, we would definitely have proof on our faces.
It was sweet and fun and a great way to make the single girls feel not so single amidst the few couples that were at the party.
It was definitely a night I’ll never forget. Knocking out at 6:00 a.m., I can only hope that 2016 will be a better year than 2015. Filled with love, and happiness, and less stress! With that, I wish you all a Happy New Year! XO.
