Here’s A Look At The Top Ways To Ring In The New Year As We Approach 2020

New Year’s Eve is here, and for many, it’s a night of celebration, laughs, good times, traditions, happiness, and even drinking.

But for others, including myself, the hardest part of it all is finding something to do to ring in the new year.

So Baller Alert is here to save to the day as we list the top ways to spend the last holiday of the year and bring in the first holiday of 2020.

1. Decorate a New Year’s tree – A tradition that goes all the way back to the 1600s is decorating a New Year’s tree. So why not start a new tradition and put up a new tree as you town down the Christmas decor.

2. Eat New Year’s food – Different cultures consider different foods to be fortuitous for the New Year, especially when eaten right when the clock strikes 12. In Spain, it’s 12 white grapes, in Chili, it’s lentils, and in a few other countries and cultures, they believe ring-shaped foods represent coming full circle like doughnuts and pretzels for example. On New Year’s Day, southern food traditions include black-eyed-peas and collard greens (symbols for wealth), ham or pork (for prosperity), and cornbread (for gold). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

3. Pray/ go to church – A big way people spend New Year’s Eve is in church, giving thanks to God. Many churches hold “Watch Night” services for Emancipation Proclamation, while on Jan. 1, Catholics hold ‘Solemnity of Mary’, which is a holy day of obligation (Mass). However, many churches offer a vigil mass option on New Year’s Eve as well.

4.  Toast with a traditional drink – Whether you celebrate with a glass of champagne, mulled wine, ‘Wassail’ (English Origins), a “hot pint,” or the Scottish spin, you’re sure to bring in the New Year feeling nice and right.                                          

5.  Make a lot of noise when the clock strikes 12 -Whether you blow noise horns, ring bells, set off fireworks, or just straight up yell, make a lot of noise and celebrate, you made it another year.

6. A New Year’s Kiss at 12 – Grab the one you love, and watch the clock close, so you two can count down the final seconds until the clock turns 12 and exchange a kiss. As the saying goes, “Kiss the person you hope to keep kissing.”

7. Send thank-you notes – Close our the year expressing gratitude to those who have made an impact on your life in the last 12 months.

8. Watch New Year’s Eve specials – If you’re staying in for the night and are tired of Christmas movies, there are a host of New Year’s Eve special to pick from including ‘Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2020’ featuring co-hosts Lucy Hale, Billy Porter and Ciara (8 p.m., ABC), ‘Fox’s New Years Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square’ featuring co-hosts Maria Menounos as well as former NFL player Rob Gronkowski (8 p.m., Fox) and ‘NBC’s New Years Eve 2020’ hosted by Carson Daly and Julianne Hough, Leslie Jones and Keith Urban (10 p.m., NBC). These specials will include many celebrity appearances and performances from your favorite artists who topped the charts during 2019 such as Meg Thee Stallion, Ciara, Blanco Brown, Salt-N-Pepa, Green Day, Dan + Shay (Dick Clark), Ne-Yo, Gwen Stefani, Keith Urban, Leslie Odom Jr. (NBC), LL Cool J, The Chainsmokers, Tyga, Backstreet Boys, Florida Georgia Line (Fox) and many more.

Whatever you do, wherever you go and whoever you spend the night with, whether it be alone, with family, friends or with your significant other, make sure you’re safe and don’t participate in any activity that can ruin your life or the lives of others.

Also remember, no drinking and driving!

Happy New Year across the world from us here at Baller Alert to you and your family. May it be a blessed one.