This year I’m spending New Year’s in Richmond. My hometown is three hours away and I can’t go down to see my family and friends for Christmas and New Year’s. However, there are some things that I’ve been thinking about doing to entertain myself. If you are going to be on campus during New Year’s Eve, I encourage you to consider these ways to spend your holiday:
- Go to a Nursing Home
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It is fairly obvious that not a lot of family members visit their senior relatives during the holidays, which you can only imagine how this makes them feel. While many might think of this New Year’s activity to be ‘lame,’ I feel like this will help you bring good energy with you into the new year and honestly just make you feel like you are making a difference.
- Throw a Party
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Parties don’t have to have tons of people; you can always have a small get-together. This is really beneficial if you have no means of transportation or just don’t feel like getting out in this cold weather. The only negatives I can see to this is that you can’t leave whenever you want and you have to provide refreshments. However, you can always throw a potluck to waive the costs for refreshments.
- Go to a Party
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Personally, I hate parties. Although I feel like VCU might have tons of amazing parties for New Year’s Eve, I love small get-togethers. I love the thought of going to one of my friend’s places for New Year’s Eve and leaving whenever I want. However, I might have to find a lot of motivation to go out into the cold.
- Go to DC
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I don’t have my car on campus, so I can’t drive to DC but dozens of my friends live in the NoVA/DC area. If you have friends in that area too, you can always catch a ride with them or even take the bus/train. Moreover, you can also stay with one of them as well. DC has a lot of things to do, whether one of your friends throws a party or you go somewhere in the city.
- Go Out on The Town
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Although I am not of the legal drinking age, Richmond has wonderful events going on across the town. Full disclosure, some require you to be 18+ or 21+. Even if you decide to opt-out of the events, you can always go to a bar or club. Both places tend to have a themed night for New Year’s Eve.
- Sleep
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After finals and the stress of Christmas, I know many of you guys just want to sleep. Don’t stay up or pull an all-nighter if you feel like you need to sleep. Self-care is way more important than celebrating a new year!
Remember to have fun on New Year’s Eve! Make a New Year’s resolution if you want, sleep if you want, go party if you want! Don’t stress yourself out, especially after finals and right before the beginning of the spring semester. Happy New Year!