"New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions."

What is it about New Year's Eve and the PRESSURE of making plans? I think the reason New Year's Eve is SO much more stressful than every other special occassion (aside from say, your wedding) is because it boils down to ONE important minute. Where will you be at exactly 12 am? Because clearly that one single 60 seconds will dictate the entire next year of your liiiiife, everyone knows that. Take 4th of July for example - you can celebrate during the day, or the night, or the whole weekend, or even week before of after. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday and always spent with your family, there's not much decision making in where you go, but NYE is a breed all its own.

You want to be with friends, in a place that's guarenteed to be fun, and importantly it has to be accessible (especially in NYC where cabs are close to impossible that night - actually that's true for most big cities. I had the same cab problem last year in Buenos Aires - although the time restriction wasn't as much of a big deal because people go out AFTER 12 and stay out until 9 am-ish). Everyone has their idea of what "fun" is, who they want to be with, low-key, high-maintanence, expensive, cheap, in-town, out-of-town, friends with priorities of being with bfs/gfs/other friends, or friends who just want to get laid. It all boils down to a whole lotta scramble with a side of stress, for a generally not-that-memorable night.

Let's be honest for a second here - how many years do you actually remember the ball dropping at midnight vs. how many years were you so drunk you could've been stuck in a dark closet alone with a blow up doll and been having the time of your life? Yeah I thought so.

I've come to terms with the fact that New Year's Eve is just not that big of a deal, and while it's of utmost importance to me to be with some good friends to ring in the New Year, it doesn't really matter where that is. In the past few years I didn't go in with a game plan, and came out with the most success so I figure that's the way to do it. Wing and ding it and move it all around. So cheers to being flexible and come what mayhem may!