A Low-Key Farewell To 2023

Originally Published Jan. 4, 2016

Happy New Year! Can you believe 2024 is here already? How did you bid farewell to 2022 this past New Year’s Eve? Were you turned up at the club or hanging out with friends and family? Even though I had some traveling to do, I was sure to find time to spend with family and friends. It was low-key, but cherished nonetheless.

Some of my friends and colleagues also kept it low key for the end of 2022. Here’s how they chose to ring in the new year.

A Dinner Party
A dinner party for close friends or relatives is at the top of the low-key list

for ringing in the New Year right. The secret to pulling off a stress-free, memorable event is to enlist the help of a professional! I know folk who hooked up with celebrity Chef J.R. Robinson, CEO of Kitchen Cray, who created a festive menu that allowed them to indulge in their favorite foods one last time before the ball dropped for 2016. Be sure to decide how many people you want to invite, your budget and your theme, if you pick one. I had the privilege of attending a pre-New Year’s Eve dinner helmed by Chef Robinson myself. Talk about good times and good food!

A Pajama Jam
There’s nothing more low-key than putting on your most comfortable PJs for an adult pajama party. Since you’re going to be up anyway, why not be comfortable all night? The key to a successful pajama jam is to

invite people who will actually participate. Folks who show up “dressed to the nines” or in street clothes–and they haven’t brought PJs to change into–are just killjoys. And please be sure to specify what passes for pajamas so no one feels uncomfortable or sticks out like a sore thumb.

Play a game other than Spades
As New Year celebrations go, playing a few games is decidedly low-key. But why not pull out something other than the usual deck of cards? Some of my friends rang in the new year celebrating American black culture with a hidden treasure called Black Card Revoked

. This game will have you debating like crazy, going back and forth about who’s wrong and who’s right. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone broke out with a song from The Five Heartbeats while answering some of these questions. The game is family-friendly and up to six can play at a time.

However you chose to bring in 2016, I hope it was meaningful. Here’s to a healthy, happy and prosperous 2016!