Megan Eaves

i am not a huge fan of new year’s eve celebrations. when i was young, and my whole world revolved around one single place and time (then, santa fe), i believed that something magical happened when the clock struck midnight on new year’s eve. i watched dick clark count down the seconds, and then the ball would drop and fireworks would blast off with huge colorful bangs. it was a new moment each year. a way to recharge, renew and start life over. in the life of a teenager, a huge accomplishment.

now, years and miles later, i know better. the illusion of starting anew is just that. because, when the clock strikes midnight in santa fe now, it’s already 1 am in texas, seven hours into the new year in dublin, and china has already seen most of january 1st. so, i don’t take much stock in new year’s. and i don’t make resolutions.

that said, i’ve decided on this new year’s eve, as we delve out of the naughties and into the tens, to recount in photos the only two new year’s celebrations that were in any way memorable for me between 2000 and 2009.

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december 31, 2005

i’m not sure who it was that had this bright idea: to load up a mishmash of friends and take off from albuquerque to southern colorado for a blissful new year’s weekend of log cabin and skiing. among those present, all that i’m still in touch with (that’s how bad this new year’s was) agree that this was the worst new year’s in history. the worst.

beyond the intense emotional charge going on between three of the participants, two of whom had dated once and the other two of whom were currently dating secretly, there was the blizzard that blew into town while we were enjoying a fancy new year’s eve dinner. this stranded us with no way to get back to our cozy lakeside cabin (icy roads) and forced us, all six of us, into one small econolodge room for the night, sharing beds and sleeping on the floor. there was a fake vomiting incident and the few of us that managed to still be in good form when the clock struck midnight, toasted with cheap cans of soda bought at the gas station down the road, sour cream and onion pringles, and taffy.

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december 31, 2006

a much less traumatic new year’s eve celebration than that of the previous year: a group of foreign teachers gathered from all parts of the world, and then from all parts of zhejiang province, for an unforgettable night of booze and chinese craziness at the maya bar in hangzhou. a random isreali guy appeared out of nowhere to provide all the ladies present with a midnight kiss (yes, we ALL kissed him haha) and several chinese hangers-on dotted the group, becoming drunk very quickly and eventually disappearing. i hope these photos are embarrassing to all those that were present.