Unusual Ways to Celebrate New Year's Eve

Drop an Olive

As an effort to reinvigorate the Palm Springs nights scene, bars all around town will be participating in an olive drop. Add this new tradition to your party by simply having everyone drop an olive into a fresh martini at the stroke of midnight.

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Engage In a Thai Style Water Gun Fight

Since Thailand's new year falls during the hottest season of the year (in April), the holiday is celebrated with essentially a huge water fight. During this New Year's celebration, they shut down major streets, and everyone douses each other with water from buckets and water guns.

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The water is symbolic of cleansing and to shower someone with water is to wish them luck in the new year. If you live in a warm climate, it could be so much fun to adopt this tradition! Just remember that it is not a water war, it is an act of wishing good fortune, so play nice!

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Dance While You Bowl

There are midnight bowling parties all over the country. This year, a bowling alley in Times Square has a five-hour party with a celebrity host. Bring in the new year by bowling while listening to fun music while mix-and-mingling with new people.

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Take a Family Portrait

Part of the many traditions of the Chinese New Year is to take a family portrait. Each year you can look back on the previous photograph, and talk about the ways you've changed in the past twelve months.

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Rid Yourself of Loose-ends

One of the many traditions of New Year's celebrations in Vietnam, is a purging of unfinished business. Return all things you've borrowed and pay off any debts you may have. Start off the new year with a clean slate.

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Wear Red Lingerie

In Italy it is considered good luck to wear read underwear and lingerie on New Year's Eve. It is believed that wearing something red will give you good luck in love and relationships in the year to come.

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Run With Luggage

In Costa Rica it is custom to run across the street with luggage in your arms bringing new travels and adventures for the next year. If you've been awaiting s special trip or two abroad, make 2013 your travel year by adopting this custom.

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Run

Perhaps you're training for a marathon, or want to shed some weight in 2013. Take a late night run on New Year's Eve.  If you have high fitness goals for the new year, what better thing to be doing at the stroke of midnight than exercising.  If you want to run outdoors, organize a small event of it for safety and comradery.

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Meditate Or Practice Yoga

Since practicing yoga and zen meditation have become a large part of many of our lives, there are sure to be local studios temples where you can go and practice meditation during the last hours of 2012. 

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Host a Scrapbooking Party

For those of us who are both super crafty and super nostalgic, a scrapbooking party is a fun creative way to celebrate New Year's Eve. This can also be fun as a child friendly activity instead of your alcohol related celebrations. Make it a tradition, and everyone can continuously build on their scrapbooks.

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Go Hiking

In cities like San Francisco where celebrations include a a large fireworks display, many people organize hikes.  Climb a mountain to get a better view of the city, or simply celebrate your love of nature.  The act of climbing upwards is definitely a strong symbol of growth and progress.

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Jump

In Denmark they have a tradition of climbing onto a chair and jumping off at the stroke of midnight. Adopt this tradition, or for a fun spin jump into a (heated) pool or body of water. Jump without fear into the new year and all the adventures it is bound to bring with it!

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