Celebrating New Year

We are going to the local golf club for expensive dinner and dance with my brother in law who is the member. He has booked a cab for 1am for return. Already feel tired thinking about it!!

I adhere to the Scottish tradition of cleaning thoroughly in the morning of the 31st. I've just finished washing the kitchen floor (the last one to be done). Washing was done yesterday, so now I am having my so-called rest, on gransnet and checking e-mail.

The component parts of the trifle for this evening's dinner are cooling in the kitchen. Dinner menu adheres to the Danish tradition (or one of them, the other being boiled cod, to which I am not partial, and neither of us cares for the price of cod these days.) We shall be having boiled ham with kale in white sauce and boiled potatoes fried in sugar that has caramelized and margarine.

Being past the age of wild parties, and sharing the dislike of stray kisses and cuddles, we stay at home. This year no guests, cats are a perfect excuse for staying in, although neither of them are scared of fireworks.
At 6 p.m. we will listen to Queen Margrethe's New Year's address to the nation. On New Year's eve we dress for dinner. At midnight being t-total we toast the new year in fruit juice diluted with tonic water, makes a nice fizzy drink, if anyone else needs a non-alcoholic beverage with bubbles. Stand to attention for the playing of the national anthems of which Denmark has two, one for the country and one for the sovereign .

Probably we will nip outside and wish the neighbours a Happy New Year just after midnight.

Go to bed as soon as the fireworks have all been let of by our neighbours and we are sure nothing has caught fire here or been damaged by youngsters playing tricks like setting fire to the bins, or shoving a firework into our mail-box.

"On parade" again by 11.30 on New Year's Day for the broadcast of the concert from Vienna.

Trying hard not to dwell on the fact that my sister died in the early hours of New Year's Day 2016, so my warmest sympathy for those of you ´who are mourning loved ones.

Best wishes to you all for a Good New Year and a prosperous and healthy 2018. See you next year!

However you are celebrating I wish you all health and happiness for 2018 ??♥️

Quietly!

I am usually also alone. I find NY sad as I have lost all my close family. Tonight, because of a new noisy neighbour I am going to my friends a few miles away overnight.

She, like me, would usually go to bed at normal time before 12. I will come home tomorrow, I usually have the friend I am staying with and another friend,who minds my dog when I am on holiday, for lunch on NY day but because I won't be coming back until then I am doing it on the 2nd instead. Wishing you all the very best for 2018.

For many years I was the one who aways baby-sat my grandchildren at Christmas so that their parents could go out. But the grandchildren are grown up now. So I see the new year in alone. I don't mind though, I enjoy Graham Norton, then the music and fireworks... if I can stay awake long enough. I pass the time by transferring birthday dates from my old calendar and diary to my new ones.
Exciting stuff, eh!
Cheers and Happy New Year to all you lovely people on GN. May 2018 be happy and peaceful for the world.
We live in hope of better things.

I would stand on the edge of the old horse's field, glass in hand, keeping her company through noisy fireworks and scary Chinese lanterns. I would toast all those now longer here. This year I will be raising my glass in remembrance of her.

I live alone. I'm going to go to the beach at sunset and write on a few pebbles, the things I want to let go of. Then I'll throw them into the water.

Another little ritual I sometimes do is to write things down on paper, build a fire ( inside or outside) and burn the papers.

Works well alone or can be shared. Better than a rowdy party, for me.

Happy New Year, everyone.

I have enjoyed some really good NYEs, working as a barmaid was great fun. bar staff dressed up & some of the regulars.

For many years my DM & Step-F came to stay for Christmas & NY, cheeseboard & whiskey in front of TV.

2012 my DH was in a Nursing Home (terminal cancer). DM had come to stay, we didn't stay up that year. I was widowed in 2013.

This year I'm staying at home on my own, my neighbour is also at home alone this year so if we're still up at midnight we will open our doors & toast the New Year with a glass of wine (non alcoholic in my case as meeting DD & family for coffee on NYD, I have to drive, we're meeting at 10am).

To all those GNers spending NYE on their own Happy New Year, may 2018 be a good year

After a Christmas that I wouldn't describe as a roaring success the dog and I are alone at last. Having a very lazy day today and just to prove it will admit to still being in my PJ's at ten to one as it is here in France. Started having quiet NY's after a particularly grim dinner party some years ago; it had started well but gradually went down hill as the evening wore on. I vowed never again. So will catch up with emails this evening, do my annual summing up of the year and plans for 2018 and having read last year's account will take the dog out, top up the hedgehog food and then bed by 11pm ready for an early start tomorrow.

So to all you other ladies also on their own tonight keep warm and keep positive because 2018 is going to be fabulous, really. To everyone else have a great one.

I really must get out of these PJ's now!

Going to friends, there will be 8 of us. Everyone taking a course. DH is doing a salmon terrine starter,with supervision! Should be fun but find I am going to bed earlier these days so hope I last the evening.

Usually at eldest daughter’s with various members of the family, staying on after Christmas. This year due to folk’s work commitments we couldn’t all get together. So tonight DH as always will go to bed 10ish. I shall stay watching Jools, doing a jigsaw - a street map of my hometown! (rarely do them these days) with a glass of gin and tonic and wait for calls from the family - or messages on What’s app. Shall think of all Gransnetters - Happy New Year!

a jigsaw

Goldengirl - opening more presents! I thought we held the record for opening the last of ours yesterday - good for you!

Just the two of us. As I hosted Christmas this year, nothing planned. Last year did a big buffet lunch for family and a good friend on NYD, everyone stayed over and we played Trivial Pursuit. This year going to pub for lunchtime drink, then cooking a Chinese tonight, have a glass of fizz and watch the fireworks. Tomorrow just us again, having roast duck and more fizz. Catch up on all the programmes I recorded over Christmas.

Another one on my own (widowed). Not bothered about NYEve, and, to be honest, never was. New Year's Day was the big feast for my (Northumbrian) family - bigger than Christmas Day, so we didn't want to spoil things by staying up to the early hours drinking. I will be going to bed at around 11 and spending tomorrow with elder daughter and family. Younger daughter's partner is Glaswegian, so they will be celebrating Hogmanay in the time-honoured way.

We'll be having an early night - though probably woken up by local fireworks - as DS and family will be descending on us in the morning for lunch [another 'Christmas' dinner] and more present opening. Today will be our last day of peace and tranquility as it's back to the old routine on 2 Jan.

I'll be on my own, I imagine, unless some invites arrive during the day. I'm not too bothered though. Don't much feel like I want to celebrate anything.

Family coming around for roast rib of beef etc

Shall enjoy sitting and chatting until midnight which will be greeted with champagne then bed

Quite a quiet evening on the whole

Thanks Fran. I will also cook myself a nice meal with wine and will be toasting all those who are alone this evening,for whatever reason. It’s so easy for those who still have their partners to take that so much for granted. I was as guilty as anyone else before losing my DH.

Put bottle of cava in fridge. I tend to go to bed as normal and get woken around 11.45, get up. At 12.59.45 DH opens Cava, we wish one another HNY, watch Jules Hootenanny on TV while we drink the bubbly and back to bed.

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope everyone has either a better year, or for those who've had a good 2017 - at least an equally good year! Love, peace & blessings. Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again!

I'm struggling to get over the lurgy and still have a hacking cough and sinus pain so DH is going to cook supper and if we can stay awake for long enough we'll watch Jools Holland and the fireworks.

DD1, the two DGSs and their girlfriends were going to come round for early drinks before heading off somewhere but I've put them off as I don't think I can face it. We'll be seeing them for lunch tomorrow anyway so I'd rather be well enough for that.

Happy New Year, everyone

Anniebach don't fear the New Year, what will be will be, hope 2018 will be a good one for you

I was widowed nearly 13 years - those were not the easiest NYEs to get through as DH loved NYE and NYD and we brought the NY in with parties, usually. After he passed my children grew up, moved on to their own families, and the last few years I was alone (I remarried 7 years ago) were especially sad - I tried to get on with it but that was never easy.

I met my 'new' husband in 2008 - friends for a few years then married early January 2011. He has Asperger's and is coeliac - drinks parties have never been high on his way to ring out the old. So tonight, as we've become used to doing, we'll enjoy a simple supper, watch a movie until 2345 then switch to one of the televised Hogmanay programmes until the singing is done. We'll pop out to the driveway to set off some modest fountain fireworks, shout 'Happy New Year!' to the world, then totter back into the house to ring the children overseas. After the telephone calls we'll watch (oh, all right, fall asleep in front of ) another movie. NYD will be equally quiet. Peaceful once the First Footers have been and gone. I'm roasting a nice top joint (with all the trimmings) and this afternoon I'll make him a gluten-free lemon drizzle loaf.

Happy New Year - may 2018 bring peace and good health to us all.

Pleased to read your cheery message Mischief!
Home alone again this NY because of a last minute change of plan. I hadn't really given it much thought until I read all the posts. Memories of crazy new years in the Highlands of Scotland first footing in the snow for many years! Later, as a single mum and after children had left home, I had to pretend to them that I was celebrating as they were upset to think of me on my own.
It's not been a great year so I will raise a glass to a better new year! And send my very warmest wishes to all GNs x

These days, our remote situation means we sometimes can't get to the neighbour's house and the weather can stop us having a First Foot for over a week, but Scotland is the country to be in January as Christmas (as a holiday and sparkly celebration) was ignored here for 400 years, so many people still celebrated Auld Eil (old yule) according to the Julian calendar, which was on the night of 11th of January. This expansion means we keep going with a whole shebang of pagan-ish fire festivals - origins vaguely Pictish, Roman, Celtic and Viking - starting with the swinging of fireballs in Stonehaven tonight and including the burning of the Clavie at Burghead in 12 days' time and Shetland's Up Helly Aa at the end of January. Hogmanay lasts a whole month if you want it to.