An end to 2020, toast! (with a canned cocktail)
Thank goodness 2020 is over, I mean… Happy New Year! This year was a lot, but you already knew that. And while things aren’t going to magically get better when the calendar turns from 2020 to 2021, that doesn’t mean we can’t pretend for a bit, right? Because there’s no better way to leave the past behind you and focus on making the most of what’s to come like a little positive thinking.
New Year’s Eve is going to look different. There’s no denying that. Yet just because gatherings are canceled doesn’t mean your celebration has to be. Instead, use the opportunity to acknowledge the small wins in whatever way you can.
Toast to it
Did you pick up a new hobby this year for at least a month? Toast to it. Do you now have a long list of classic movies and TV shows checked off of your “to watch” list? Raise a glass. Have you survived your umpteenth Zoom call without making a fool of yourself or exposing the clutter just off-camera? We salute you, and you deserve a drink for that.
Yes, you might be making that toast with the one or two people in your pod instead of shutting down the bar. The drink in hand might be a little different, too. A cheaper bubbly swapped for Champagne, for example, or a cocktail in a can pulled straight from the fridge instead of a drink poured by a suspenders-wearing bartender. Believe us when we say that a Moscow Mule in a can (or better yet, a ‘Merican Mule from a can) is just as tasty and gets in your hand much quicker than waiting at that three-deep line at the bar from the before times. Plus, you get to do it all yourself on your own time, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2020, it’s that making the most of the moment for yourself (safely, of course) is the key to happiness.
Maybe you can use the occasion of the last day of the year to find some new ways to bring luck. In Spain, people quickly scarf down 12 grapes at midnight for good luck in each of the following 12 months (it’s harder than it sounds). Some Brazilians hop over seven waves in the ocean, while in Denmark, people smash plates on the doorsteps of their friends and family. Maybe you can find a way to combine all those good luck traditions into one just in case.
Happy New Year
This New Year’s Eve, look to the bright side. Describing a year as a “rollercoaster” has never been more appropriate, and 2020 felt like a hundred years rolled into one for many of us. Case in point: There were a lot of crazy event bingo cards filled out many times over. In many ways, it can only get better from here.
So grab a drink and swap the “thank goodness 2020 is over” exclamations for much more hopeful shouts of “Happy New Year.” You shouldn’t forget the year that has gone by or the ways that you made it through the ups and downs. You also shouldn’t bring bad energy into the new year. At the very least, 2021 will bring 365 days of new opportunities to toast the people and things you love most. Now that’s something to celebrate.
Nickolaus Hines is a Denver-based freelance writer who covers drinks, food, and travel. You can follow his work on Twitter and Instagram.