Anyone looking to welcome the New Year with panache may have to give their grand plans a miss. With the surge in COVID-19 cases and as authorities impose strict restrictions, a sound celebration would be one that takes place at home while adhering to protocols.
As uneventful as it may seem, a New Year spent alone can be a great opportunity to welcome the year in a tranquil manner. Since partying in isolation may seem difficult for many, three introverts from Delhi-NCR reveal their New Year plans, adding how to celebrate in solitude to convince you that ringing in the New Year alone can actually be great.
Self-care trumps everything
“I spend most New Years by myself,” shares Samridhi Yadav (20), a student at Indraprastha College for Women. As an introvert, Yadav has always preferred her own company to that of others. “I like to visit places by myself. I don’t mind attending parties, but you’ll mostly find me at a corner either listening to someone talk or sharing their silence,” she says.
Continuing the annual practice of celebrating New Year’s alone this year, Yadav plans to invest her time by indulging in self-care. “This time, I am planning to dress up a little, drink by myself, listen to some good music, and order food; sort of like pampering myself for making it through 2021,” she says. She also intends to take some time off to contemplate and write about the year in her journal. “I will be writing about the things that have changed in me this year, and everything I would like to change in me next year. It will be like a documentation of the year,” she concludes.
Cook, eat, savour
Hospitality professional Somansh Grover (21) plans to celebrate the New Year curled up in bed and watching a show till he is asleep. The highlight of the evening, however, is the meal he will be cooking for himself. “Since the time I have started cooking, I have only done it for other people. Earlier it used to be family, then friends, and now it is for colleagues. I have never really cooked for myself,” shares Grover, who recently moved to Gurugram for work.
The idea to spend the evening whipping up a grand dinner came to him while at work. “From the time I have started working, cooking has started to feel like a chore. I want to have an evening when I take it slow, relishing the process the way I used to.”
Reviving old hobbies
“New Year’s eve is an ‘unsaid’ holiday,” jokes Divya Aggarwal (21), a resident of West Delhi. A master’s student who has been attending classes virtually, Aggarwal plans to take a break from the monotony of assignments and reignite her creative spark. “The last few months have been about submissions. I am looking forward to spending an evening without the pressure of deadlines,” she says.
Even though Aggarwal loves hanging out with her friends, every once in a while, she likes to spend time with herself. This year, Aggarwal plans to spend her time indulging in art. “I will be in my room, my craft supplies around me and I will just paint and journal,” she says.