What to do on January 1st

IT IS ACTUALLY A CRAPPY DAY

How much I can look forward to Christmas, I find it even nicer when everything is over. Then we can take a breather to really go for it one last time on December 31st. I pick up apple turnovers from my grandpa, homemade, and he has been doing that for as long as I can remember. Then I rush to the Appie before it gets too crowded to pick up some snacks. It's never really a big meal. We always meet in the same house because the best fireworks are set off by that canal.

In the group chat, the question comes up every year: “Where can you still buy plastic champagne glasses and who has sparklers? Preferably the ones that are a meter long.” Bubbles are brought to pop and some wine. Everything, and I mean everything, is mixed together. At midnight, we go outside, drink from the bottle, hug, cry, laugh, and then everyone goes their own way. House parties, friends, family, and discos that need to be visited; at midnight we are together, after that you can do what you want. That's always the agreement.

Then it's January 1st. You have a hangover, the streets are a mess, your house smells of smoke and there are dirty glasses (because you had an afterparty), it's the first day of a new year (so a new life) and you've forgotten to get breakfast, but many stores are still closed. You just feel incredibly crappy. At least, that's how it is for me every year. Serious gloom that you can't explain but can share, because in the group chat I read that everyone is dealing with it. So I always prepare for the fact that I'm going to feel it and that's really not a disaster, but it's an art not to dwell on it for too long. So what to do on January 1st when you feel incredibly lousy and how can you somewhat prevent that ‘crappiness‘?

• Don't throw parties at home. Waking up in a pigsty already starts your day off badly.
• What I wrote earlier: do your grocery shopping in advance for a hearty breakfast. Get fruit and eggs. You'll need those.
• Make sure you don't wake up alone. I know I know, this is tricky if you're single, because I'm not saying you should jump into bed with everyone just to avoid waking up alone, but it's much nicer to get through that crappy morning together than to do it alone. You could also arrange for a friend to stay over.
• I've already reserved a table at a restaurant where they serve a New Year's brunch. Dear friend Merel is serving (now that's a tough one) and our friends and partners are joining.
• Another friend Madieke has arranged to work at 11 o'clock. She could schedule it herself and it's only for a few hours. At first, I thought she was crazy. “At least I’ll be out,” she countered. And she is so incredibly right about that.
• Go to the movies. Most cinemas are open. You can also watch a movie on the couch, but if you go to the cinema, at least you've been outside for a bit.
• Speaking of outside: GO OUTSIDE. Take a city walk or bike to a nice café. There are quite a few restaurants open, you’ll be surprised.
• Organize a nice get-together at your place. To ring in the new year. I know it, you're hungover, but you'll get over that quickly if you have a few sips of glühwein. Then I hear you say: “Yeah, but then I'll be hungover again the next day.” I know that too, but then it's January 2nd and that's so different from the first.