New Year's Eve Over the Years

New Year's Eve is once again upon us. My expectations on how to spend that evening have changed tremendously over the decades.

As a child
When I was little, the most exciting part about New Year's Eve - and also the only expectation I had about that evening - was being allowed to stay up late. A staple in my childhood for that night was to watch 'Dinner for One'. Other than that it was all about watching TV, trying to stay awake until midnight and if I made it, shoot off some cheap fireworks in the backyard.

As a teenager
Growing up in the Austrian Alps, going out to a club wasn't really a thing. What the kids in the countryside did was meet at a hut in the mountains where we were surrounded by snow. Someone's uncle always had a hut and we would meet there in the early evening to get started on the bags of alcohol we dragged up there. One by one, we passed out somewhere on the floor or if you were lucky on a chair. It was a simple time.

In my early twenties
At the time, I lived in Germany and we moved the festivities to the local pub. Sometimes it was a dress-up party and sometimes just like any other party. It was just like any other Saturday night but with more people and for some reason more fun because that night always somehow symbolizes a new beginning.

In my late twenties
By then I was living in LA and I experienced a variety of different New Year's Eve events. There was the stay-at-home New Year's Eve (never again), the Paramount Studios outdoor party on the fake streets of New York (exciting location but the midnight band didn't show up so the midnight gong was a bit anti-climactic), the destination New Year's Eve (viva Mexico - thanks for the rays of sun) and the house parties (nothing beats partying with friends as long as it's not my apartment that needs to be cleaned the next day).
By the way, there are no exciting fireworks along the beaches.

In my early thirties
More destination New Year's Eve celebrations! I partied on the beach of Miami - in famous South Beach - after a brief Christmas stop over on the Virgin Island. Can't go wrong with celebrating the eve of the New Year at a place where you don't need winter jackets.
But then again - New Year's in New York was pretty spectacular. I didn't go to Times Square - when you are only 5'1" that really isn't fun - but to a masquerade party at a club.

During that time of my life, I also moved back to Austria. I discovered that the Viennese have a pretty spectacular way of celebrating that particular night. The entire city is a party zone with stages with life music or DJs and lots and lots (and lots) of booths with Glühwein (hot spiced wine) and Punsch (a sweet hot drink) - both with alcohol of course. For those who don't fancy being out and about in the cold, there are also tons of balls around the city. I went to the Hofburg ball one year and it was incredible. You will hardly meet Austrians at those events but I got to meet a movie producer from the US at the bar.


In my late thirties
It was time to continue my passion for destination New Year's Eve festivities. This is much easier in Europe. A trip to Munich was only a few hours drive away. A long weekend in Barcelona only took three hours on the plane. Nonetheless, I also suddenly found joy and satisfaction in a more quieter way to spend the evening to ring in the new year. Shopping in Salzburg during the day, followed by a spa treatment and a romantic dinner and then watching the fireworks of the lake from our balcony  while drinking bubbles was a nice, stress free way to spent the night.

What will tonight have to offer? To be continued...