Boys, girls… especially the Dutch ones, careful with the fireworks tomorrow. Mind where you throw your crackers. The Dutch spend millions on fireworks every New Year’s Eve. And I must say, the few times I’ve celebrated New Year’s Eve abroad, I’ve been very disappointed at the lack of noise. You have to chase those old year demons away!

What the Dutch do for New Year’s Eve:

• eat dinner
• eat ‘oliebollen, appelflappen & appelbeignets’ (round doughnuts with raisins, apple turnover, apple doughnuts)
• watch (political) cabaret/stand up on tv & eat toast, cheese, pate, salads
• open champagne when the clock strikes midnight, drink it
• go outside, wish all the neighbours in the street a happy new year and light tons of fireworks (fireworks goes on sale a day in advance, lots of people buy illegal (heavier) crackers in Belgium)
• drink more champagne in the street, wish lots of strangers happy new year… drink their champagne too

I would buy fireworks if I still smoked, the stuff is just hard to light without cigarettes. I’ll settle for champagne and apparently we’re having pea soup (trad Dutch dinner).

[ more here and pictures of fireworks in Amsterdam ]