When do you start planning New Year's Eve?

[TheKitchenWitch]

After the fuckups of the last two years I've decided I want to have a good NYE with people I like who like me too. I don't want any drama, or last-minute made-up cancellations (or -even worse- I might come but I might not I'll see how I feel in half an hour - OH DO FUCK OFF), or anything like that - I just want to have a nice evening, eat lots of lovely food, watch fireworks, chat with friends and toast the new year in at midnight.

My expectations are fairly low-key, and we've always had lovely NYE except somehow things have gone wrong the last two years and I want to change that.

Is it too early to start asking people? When do you start planning NYE?

I don’t. It happens without me planning it. It’s Just another night for me.

So you dontmark it in any way? Ok. But for those who do, when would you start planning it?

Surely the earlier you plan it, the more stress it's going to cause?

I'm hosting so preliminary planning is well underway (minimum of 25 staying over, 60+ attending).

About a week before we go to a lovely restaurant who don’t take your eyes out£15 for a three course meal

We don’t do a lot 😞

It’s too early to start inviting people. No one will commit themselves this far ahead. Or they’ll say yes now but bail later. What went wrong the last two years? Is it possible that your expectations aren’t in tune with your friendship group? When I was in my 20’s, we decided what to do at the last minute, and frequently ended up somewhere we hadn’t planned at all but moved onto as the night developed. Now we’re proper grown-ups, the best NYEs we’ve had have been at neighbours’ houses because we don’t have to worry about how to get home. Taxis on NYE are near impossible, as are babysitters.

I have already got mine sorted. Same as every year. Me, dd, picnic food, booze for me, none for her. Jools on the tv and bed at 12.01am.

Probably on boxing day or the day after that when we go to Iceland to get the party platter. We don't invite people over or anything, it's just the 4 of us.

I'm in the don't do anything camp.

What's gone wrong other years? I agree this is too early for people to commit. Lots of people won't have even made their Christmas plans yet.

We sort New Year activities out in the preceding January. The three of us (DH, DS & I) go away a couple of days after Christmas to escape the madness and get away from everyone, so getting ourselves booked in is always my priority as soon as we come back!

You pay a fortune for a babysitter on NYE, bars and restaurants are packed and overpriced. We don’t go out because of the cost. We have wine and picnic in front of the tv.

We don't go out, since having dc we always celebrate with same friends (and occasionally family and other friends too) at either theirs or ours, and it's always been v. nice indeed.
However, they've pissed us about the last two years, so I was thinking the arrangement should come to an end.
I think I might leave it a bit longer to ask other friends what they're doing as you're probably right, nobody is really going to commit this far ahead!

That's a really good question actually - I can't stand going out on NYE as people get so hyper. It's like it's de rigueur to 'do' something and go along with a false notion of fun.

I think my best was just with ex listening to the Big Ben chimes at midnight holding each other with our little cat clasped in a trio. Cat was slightly surprised at being caught up in a group hug listening to bells

I do think you could ask other friends about it shortly as it's so nice to be able to relax with people you love

Usually 2 or 3 weeks before. People by then know what they are doing and whether they can commit to my thing, rather than seeing what other options they have or can suggest I come to the thing they are doing.