NYE B-day!!!
December 20, 2010 10:25 PM Subscribe
Good friend of mine has a birthday coming up on New Year's Eve. I really want to send him off into the new year in a nice way. Ideas?
Good friend of mine has a birthday coming up right on New Year's Eve. I really want to send him off into 2011 in a nice way. One thing however, he is kind of a loner--I am probably his closest friend in the general area. Would it be weird to drop a whole bunch of my friends on him to celebrate both his birthday and New Years'? What would be fun for two people if that is too weird?
Good friend of mine has a birthday coming up right on New Year's Eve. I really want to send him off into 2011 in a nice way. One thing however, he is kind of a loner--I am probably his closest friend in the general area. Would it be weird to drop a whole bunch of my friends on him to celebrate both his birthday and New Years'? What would be fun for two people if that is too weird?
As a kind of a loner WITH a New Year's Eve birthday, this sort of sounds like torture. For starters, calling them "your friends" makes them sound like he doesn't know them well/at all; rather than a "whole bunch"of (near?) strangers invading my house, I'd literally* prefer a dentist doing intensive work, because they're equally unpleasant, but with the second, it's at least off my to-do list. Honestly, I clicked your profile in horror to see if you could possibly be referring to me. (Not having information hasn't eased my mind.)
If the friends were actual mutual friends, my reaction would be lessened, but not by a lot -- my place isn't suited for company, and would need a major cleaning to prep for guests.
My favourite birthdays include solo winter night hikes and watching depressing movies alone; Requiem for a Dream and A Clockwork Orange are particularly fond memories.
The one exception is milestone birthdays, which I did enjoy having a big party with my (note: my) close friends. The challenge with this is that there are so many parties that night that I feel pressure to put on something decent, so that my guests don't feel like they're missing out (or go to other parties instead). My invite last time noted that this was the only chance until 2016, and I intend to stick to schedule.
I'm not sure what two random people could do together, but I'd make it perfectly clear that the one loner type is totally free to spend the night at home in a bubble bath with a good book, a Springsteen album and a pot of chai while the non-loner leaves them alone and does something else social.
* Yes, I mean literally, not the postmodern use of literally to mean figuratively. Give me a room full of strangers trying to show me a good time and a man with a drill, I'm picking door number two most of the time, depending on the anaesthetic provided.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 12:41 AM on December 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
If the friends were actual mutual friends, my reaction would be lessened, but not by a lot -- my place isn't suited for company, and would need a major cleaning to prep for guests.
My favourite birthdays include solo winter night hikes and watching depressing movies alone; Requiem for a Dream and A Clockwork Orange are particularly fond memories.
The one exception is milestone birthdays, which I did enjoy having a big party with my (note: my) close friends. The challenge with this is that there are so many parties that night that I feel pressure to put on something decent, so that my guests don't feel like they're missing out (or go to other parties instead). My invite last time noted that this was the only chance until 2016, and I intend to stick to schedule.
I'm not sure what two random people could do together, but I'd make it perfectly clear that the one loner type is totally free to spend the night at home in a bubble bath with a good book, a Springsteen album and a pot of chai while the non-loner leaves them alone and does something else social.
* Yes, I mean literally, not the postmodern use of literally to mean figuratively. Give me a room full of strangers trying to show me a good time and a man with a drill, I'm picking door number two most of the time, depending on the anaesthetic provided.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 12:41 AM on December 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Another introvert with a limited circle of close friends chiming in.
My favourite NYE experiences thus far (all in small groups or pairs):
- watching Robert Rodriguez movies at home with craploads of leftover Christmas candy and some comfy beanbags. Followed by hide-and-seek, because that's how I roll.
- wandering around the city for a few hours and then over to the beach with a bottle of wine to share (disclaimer: requires small, coastal city without huge NYE crowds)
- watching the fireworks on TV and heckling the terrible, fake-tanned, obviously-drunk presenters (disclaimer: requires access to Australian network television)
All these evenings involved nice, long, semi-boozy chats with good friends who I don't get to hang out with as often as I'd like, which I think is an awesome way to ring in the New Year.
If you really want to go out and party with other friends (which I wouldn't hold against you!), maybe give your friend a birthday gift of a good book or DVD to spend NYE with?
Would it be weird to drop a whole bunch of my friends on him to celebrate both his birthday and New Years'?
Ouch, yes.
posted by jaynewould at 2:28 AM on December 21, 2010
My favourite NYE experiences thus far (all in small groups or pairs):
- watching Robert Rodriguez movies at home with craploads of leftover Christmas candy and some comfy beanbags. Followed by hide-and-seek, because that's how I roll.
- wandering around the city for a few hours and then over to the beach with a bottle of wine to share (disclaimer: requires small, coastal city without huge NYE crowds)
- watching the fireworks on TV and heckling the terrible, fake-tanned, obviously-drunk presenters (disclaimer: requires access to Australian network television)
All these evenings involved nice, long, semi-boozy chats with good friends who I don't get to hang out with as often as I'd like, which I think is an awesome way to ring in the New Year.
If you really want to go out and party with other friends (which I wouldn't hold against you!), maybe give your friend a birthday gift of a good book or DVD to spend NYE with?
Would it be weird to drop a whole bunch of my friends on him to celebrate both his birthday and New Years'?
Ouch, yes.
posted by jaynewould at 2:28 AM on December 21, 2010
I'm a bit of a loner and NYE is my birthday. If a friend dropped by with a bunch of people I didn't know (or did know and didn't necessarily like), I would be very unhappy with that friend.
Personally, I prefer to celebrate my birthday earlier in the day and switch into NYE mode later on rather than combining the two. Provided your friend is old enough to have had control over his birthday plans for a few years, he probably has a stance on how he likes the two celebrations linked/separated. Why not ask him?
More generally, why not see what he wants to do? If it's supposed to be about his birthday, does he have a hobby or interest you can factor into your plans?
posted by cranberry_nut at 8:38 AM on December 21, 2010
Personally, I prefer to celebrate my birthday earlier in the day and switch into NYE mode later on rather than combining the two. Provided your friend is old enough to have had control over his birthday plans for a few years, he probably has a stance on how he likes the two celebrations linked/separated. Why not ask him?
More generally, why not see what he wants to do? If it's supposed to be about his birthday, does he have a hobby or interest you can factor into your plans?
posted by cranberry_nut at 8:38 AM on December 21, 2010
Is there a local First Night? Does friend like good food/beer/wine? Maybe do something together earlier in the day. Definitely ask the friend if a group might be fun if group were doing X. Holiday birthdays are rough and often leave the birthday kid feeling neglected, so good on you for wanting to celebrate your friend!
posted by ldthomps at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2010
posted by ldthomps at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Note that I think you have a good heart for this, but social people often have no idea what it's like to be kind of antisocial. I have plenty of friends who love nothing more than the idea of a huge room full of people who they don't know. That kind of party makes me find a corner with a book. If I can climb up into a loft or other high place and watch the party from up there, even better. A big group like that is totally overwhelming to me to be in the thick of.
As to a special thing the two of you can do? This is really hard to answer without knowing more about you both. For me, it'd depend entirely on who I was hanging out with. Off the top of my head, thinking of what I'd enjoy with each of a handful of my close friends: dirtbiking and planning motorcycle road trips, cooking together, going out for sushi, curling up on the couch at a coffee shop and talking for hours, going on a long walk across the city with occasional stops for a drink, cooking for her, working on motorcycles, sitting in a bar and chatting until last call, going to the farmer's market, having a sewing/craft night.
posted by mollymayhem at 11:28 PM on December 20, 2010 [1 favorite]