Good evening republic of Trumatter. It was a lovely day here in Mumbai. The temperature has been a nice, thorough 24 and I haven’t done a thing barring cooking a simple Holiday Monday lunch and 2 rounds of coffee. Pretty ideal if you ask me. But this evening, however, sitting in a very private “under the Christmas tree” conference with my last cuppa and my ye old head- engaged in a perfectly sensible conversation- I was challenged with a very difficult question. What would be a great way to spend New Year’s Eve for a person who doesn’t like to step out of the house much?

Sequins and heels? Disaster

A 2 on 2 with shiny clothes and the rad little party in town euates to unending calls to the Uber driver who just doesn’t realize it’s a one way street, surge and I am too drunk to walk where he is anyway.

Whisk ourselves away to a serene place which could have been any other day because frankly, I can’t even feel it’s New Year? A fancy dinner but I can do that tomorrow too right? A house party where people eventually form knots of people and do their own thing spilling ginger ale in the kitchen and throwing up in the bathroom? Gosh, I am to New Year’s Eve what Bah Humbug is to Christmas but then what could be truly exciting? Something that’ll make me feel happy, elated and cozy all the same time because frankly, none of the above will make me feel any good. Specially the first point.

I can get high. Yes, have lots of beer and critique with friends about the world and half but do I even want to be high? And have aspirin after aspirin, alternating it with lemon juice and praying to God that if I get out of this, I am never touching alcohol again.

More often than not, this whole New Year’s Eve plans turn out to be stressful, anti-climatic and borderline disappointing.

But that brings us to the question of what to do on New Year’s Eve?

After a good pondering and weighing the odds and calibrating and recalibrating things, I did what geniuses do. Bring out their diaries. I sat myself down and wrote these

A Homebody’s list of 10 Feel-Good things to do on this or any New Year’s Eve

Unplug for the evening

And let an alarm tell you it’s New Year. Seriously, unplug. No stale radio ads, no award ceremony, no ball drop, nothing! (Unless you are in Times Square, NY) Play some good old music, play a game or two of Chess or Ludo and kiss your loved ones when the clock strikes 12. If you have a balcony to sit and tune out, sit and watch the fireworks. Someone will invest in your locality anyway.

Dress down for the occasion

And take out your best pajama. This night of the year you deserve to feel specially cozy because of the immense hard work you have put all through the months. There is no need to wrap yourself in shiny sequins and put on those 9 inch nails under your feet. Relax.

Make a list of movies you want to see from 31st and 1st

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day are great time to watch a few classics that’ll set the mood for the year ahead. Choose a few movies to watch these 24 hours.

Get a good night’s sleep

While most will reel from the after math of all those GnT’s, you can wake up like a new blossom on New Year’s day and spend sometime in serenity thanking God to get you through another year. New Year’s Day is a great day to be thankful.

A big pot of Comfort food

Ramen? Chips? Fish curry? Whatever is comfort food to you is what you should have today. Because New Year’s Eve is special. A big pot of tomato soup or some fresh or a nice spinach quiche does it for me.

Don’t want to cook? Call in. I am closing our kitchen tomorrow and day after so I can literally do nothing

Spend time with your fur children

Honestly, on special days like the New Year’s Eve, I find it particularly difficult to leave them out of the festivities. I know they don’t care perhaps but I do. I am human, I have conscious and my conscious kills me if I leave them alone on Christmas Eve or Diwali or New Year. NYE is the time to gather those who makes your life a happy place and they are certainly mine. And I know they are yours too.

Face time with your folks

If you are away from your family, use technology to bring you all together. Do a concall or face time with your entire familia. Trust me. To know that everyone’s doing good on NYE is very feel-good. Plus, I think as parents get older they also get very emotional. Give them that joy.

Facemask + Podcast

Start a New Year’s Eve ritual. Like Netflix and cocoa or Facemask and podcast. It’s as if the joy from all of this seeps out from it and goes right inside the soul. I have a rice wine something mask reserved for tomorrow. So excited.

Throw a pajama party

Want to throw a party at home but don’t want to get ready? Let all feel the same way. A pajama, pizza and beer party is absolutely fabulous to ring in the new year minus the hassle.

Plant a tree on New Year’s Eve

Citronella: Makes for a great house plant

A great way to remember anyone or anything is to plant a tree and what better time than New Year’s Eve to do it. And each passing year, as it grows, it’ll remind you of the exact time and place of an year gone by and the fact that time really do fly. As for me, I’ll attempt as a fruit plant today. Who’s with me?

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