11. Pop the Bubbly
Needless to say, New Year's Eve is THE time to pop that bubbly. Don't want to wait till midnight? So don't!
12. Do Kareoke at Home
Belt it out! There's amazing music on the radio on New Year's Eve, and you can obviously pick your own on iTunes. Not sure where to start? How about Sinatra? Sing it out baby!
13. Spend New Years Eve on Social Media
Connect! Spend a few hours connecting from Brooklyn to your cyber world, posting photos on Facebook and making sage or stupid comments on Twitter.
14. Smell the Roses...Wake Up Early & Watch the Rose Bowl
It's a New Year's Day tradition, the Rose Bowl. If you hate all the New Year's Eve hoopla, but love watching sporting events, plan to get together with some buddies to watch the Rose Bow on January 1. (No games on Jan. 1 at Barclays Center)
15. Write the Mayor a Note
Yeah, why not. Mayor de Blasio is, after all, from BROOKLYN. So send him a note. Tell him what you want him to do this coming year, what you like about the way he's running the Big Apple, and sound off about what you think needs doing in the new year. Yo!
16. Cook a Lobster
Never cooked a lobster? Well, it's an experience, all right. It's the new year... So, try something new. You can get them at Whole Foods in Gowanus or the Lobster Pound in Red Hook.
17. Go to Bed & Get Up Early: Watch the Coney Island Polar Bears
Forget staying up till midnight. Turn in early, and in the morning, head down to Coney Island to watch the Polar Bears take a freezing dip in the Atlantic.
18. Do Something Nice
Yes, it's the oldest truism in the world. But if you're got a case of the blahs on New Year's Eve, the do something nice for someone else. Make a contribution. Broke? Then give someone a backrub. Or watch their kids for an hour. Giving rather than getting's as classy a way to start a new year as having dinner at Brooklyn's River Cafe.
19. Sing Auld Lang Syne, Even If You Don't Know Why
Beats me why this is THE song one is supposed to sing on New Year's Eve. It's a Scottish poem dating to about 1720, and nobody really knows why we sing it. But sing it we do. So put on your best nostalgic lilting voice, and see if you can remember the words. Here they are:
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup ! and surely I’ll buy mine ! And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
20. Host A New Years Eve Party
Well, duh. This is obvious. Be the host, make it happen, invite your friends, people you want to have as friends, old friends, your neighbors. There are never enough parties.
21. Make That Resolution List
We left this one till last, because everyone breaks New Year's resolutions within days of making them. Still, it's nice to dream.
Gonna exercise. Gonna lose 10 lbs. Gonna be nicer to my mother in law.
Make the list.
Hope springs eternal.
Happy New Year!