my stuff
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the best new year party that never was
Does anybody actually LIKE new year? I mean, the way people like Christmas, or birthdays or holidays? I have yet to meet anybody that ever says ‘I love new year’.
We normally try to go away at new year. In Edinburgh the whole city goes mental. It’s a huge celebration here – something put on for the tourists rather than the locals. Whilst the city boasts ‘the biggest street party in the world’ I think you’d be hard pushed to find anyone in the crowd who lives in the city all year round and is over the age of 20.
It’s really bloody annoying – cabs cost a fortune (some cabs start the charges at £8 before you’re even in the bloody taxi!) and the whole city centre is closed off to traffic so a jaunt from one house to another is nearly impossible. It’s irritating as hell. For those of us who have no interest in, oh who is it this year that’s playing? Pet Shop boys I think, and standing around in the freezing cold and the howling wind with millions of other people around us, new year is shite. The real tradition in Scotland is to go first footing – have a party or some friends round for the bells and then go first footing. The tradition is you visit your friends and neighbours, it’s good luck – the first visitors of the new year are supposed to bring good luck and good fortune. Even better if the first footer is a tall, dark, handsome man who is carrying a bottle of whisky and a lump of coal (I think?!).
I remember new year’s from when I was a kid – I’d stay at gran and grandad’s and all and sundry would end up in the house. It was amazing fun. You were allowed to stay up late so you could shout happy new year to everybody that passed through the house with bottles of booze and cakes and biscuits.
Now though, well certainly in Edinburgh – it’s practically impossible to go first footing because it’s practically impossible to get anywhere. And so everybody tries to stay in the same place and that’s pretty hard too when some friends want to go to a club, some want to stay in and have a quiet one, some want to go to a party. And in the end, it’s never ever as much fun as it’s built up to be.
This year was going to be different for us though. We’re lucky to have quite a few friends who are DJs and so even the smallest house party can end up being as good if not better than a night in a club. And they’ve all got connections to good venues or equipment or whatever. This year, we were going to have a warehouse party. With decorations, a sound system, huge lights and all our friends on the decks. We’d consulted the police, the nearby neighbours and nobody complained. But then the council said ‘no you can’t have any fun you silly buggers’ and shut down the idea. It was going to be amazing – with a piper playing at midnight and everything.
So now, we’re having a frigging party in the flat.
I really, really, really can’t be arsed. In fact I can’t even be arsed thinking about it so I’m going to go and pretend it’s not happening.
Happy New Year everybody.
Smooches x
11:17 am - 31 December 2006
