7 NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION SAFETY TIPS FOR 2020

So many people are waiting for 2020 to come to an end that New Year’s Eve has become the biggest and most important holiday for them this year. But celebrating New Year’s is going to need to look different this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Without safety being kept in center focus, no celebration will be enjoyable.

From all of us at Huffman & Huffman Brothers-in-Law, P.L.L.C. in Virginia, we wish you and your family a fun, festive, and safe New Year’s. To help you make that happen, we would like to share some New Year’s celebration safety tips that apply both in 2020 and any other year.

7 must-know New Year’s celebration safety tips:

1. Guest limits: This first tip is specifically for New Year’s celebrations in 2020. You need to be careful when inviting anyone to your party because everyone who shows up is another person who might be contagious for COVID-19 and not realize it. The best choice is to not invite anyone and only celebrate with people who already live in your household. Use video teleconferencing apps to celebrate remotely with others without increasing your risk of contracting the virus.
2. Drink limits: Pay attention to how much alcohol will be available in your home compared to how many guests will be there. You should have enough to make certain everyone who wants to celebrate with a drink can but not so much that it encourages dangerous overdrinking. You can also talk to your guests ahead of time about drink limits, such as no more than three drinks per guest for the entire evening.
3. Food availability: Most people report feeling drunker off a single drink of alcohol when they have it on an empty stomach. To help your guests avoid the worst impacts of a drink or two, be sure that there are plenty of eats they can enjoy throughout the night.
4. Designated drivers: The safest way to make certain that alcohol doesn’t lead to dangerous driving, on an empty stomach or not, is to inform guests that drinking-and-driving is not acceptable. Guests should arrive in groups of two or more so that one of those people can be a designated driver who has zero alcoholic beverages.
5. Fireworks ban: New Year’s at midnight means big fireworks demonstrations across the country. But it should not mean the same for your party. Leave fireworks up to the pyrotechnic professionals. Using them in your backyard is extremely dangerous and very likely illegal.
6. Clutter clearing: Leftover cups, bottles, and food containers from a party can become a slip-and-fall hazard if they are not discarded readily after being used. Keep your party guests safe by assigning someone or yourself to be the clutter clearer. Walk throughout the party once an hour to collect refuse. This cleaning method also lessens post-party cleaning pains!
7. Guest lodging: No matter how much people plan to be safe for New Year’s celebrations, there is a good chance that someone will make a mistake and drink despite them planning on driving home. Anticipate this lapse of better judgment by preparing a place to sleep for at least one person, like the couch or a guestroom.

Please enjoy your New Year’s safely! May you find nothing but wealth and cheer in the next year!