When it comes to holidays, New Year’s Eve blows the rest out of the water, at least in my humble opinion. No other perennial party compares to the flexibility, excitement, universality and self-reflecting that the last night of every year offers.
First, the beautiful thing about New Year’s Eve is that there’s no right or wrong way to celebrate it. You can spend your time with family, friends, or by yourself if you choose. There’s no religious service, no ceremonial meal, no stress whatsoever. New Year’s Eve represents absolute freedom to celebrate how you want.
Second, New Year’s Eve is an exciting holiday, with everyone counting down to one exact moment. This adds a fun element of anticipation to the night, especially for young people searching for someone to smooch at midnight.
Third, New Year’s Eve is a universal holiday. Everyone from Miami to Macau celebrates the big countdown, albeit in different time zones, marking a rare time when the whole human race unites in brief hope for a new beginning. It’s inspiring, if only for a moment!
Finally, and most importantly, New Year’s Eve offers a rare moment for self-reflection. There are many holidays that call for pause — Thanksgiving especially comes to mind. Sadly, the messages behind many holidays are often lost in commercial society. Let Linus’ Christmas speech be a reminder!
New Year’s Eve, on the other hand, has remained relatively pure. After all, the concept is so simple that it’s in the name: The night before a new year. This momentous occasion calls for inward reflection of what we as individuals did right and wrong in the past year and how we can improve in the future. Sure, most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick, but at least the effort to reflect inwardly on our lives has tremendous philosophical beauty.
Personally, I enjoy spending my New Year’s Eve catching up with old libertarian friends from college in the unlikeliest of places: San Francisco. As the countdown begins, I have a cheesy hope that if people can tolerate each others’ existence in one moment of jubilee, hopefully, it can continue for a whole year.
Of course, it’s a pipe dream, but at least it makes for a good party!
Casey Given is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the executive director of Young Voices. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
