7 ideas to give an epic new year's eve kiss for 2020

As the flurry of holiday preparations reaches its frenzied peak, everyone gears up for the year-end festivities. Many things come into a plan for the new year; resolutions, fireworks, wine, more resolutions, more wine, and, of course, the all-significant New Year’s Eve kiss. It’s all about the with whom, when, where and how. But do we know how all these shenanigans began?

This tradition is apparently traced back to the old Roman end-of-year pagan festivities known as Saturnalia, which was characterized by feasting, role reversals, gift-giving, and gambling. Alongside modern holiday traditions, kissing would probably be comparable to the gambling part of the Romans back then. Many also claim that the turn-of-the-year smooching has its roots in the Scottish new-year celebration of Hogmanay.

It is a tradition during this event that kisses are given to every person in the room as a form of greeting to friends and welcome to strangers. Now that’s superb hospitality! What gives this claim credibility is that, originally, the countdown song “Auld lang Syne” is Scottish.

Renaissance Europe also practiced the ritual of kissing at midnight as the culmination of masquerade balls. At the stroke of the hours, partygoers unmasked and kissed away evil. Folklore and superstition of the German and English folkloric believed that your luck was determined by the first person you encounter into the New Year. 

All of this history evolved into present-day celebrations where everybody stays tuned to their favorite form of counting down the final seconds of the year...then BANG! It’s time for that all-important, long-awaited, carefully planned New Year’s Kiss with someone special.

Traditionally, family and friends gather to ring in the new year. While many people congregate and inebriate en masse at New Year’s Eve parties, this may not be applicable for all of us. For some of us, it is necessary to put a spin on how we work our way up towards puckering up for that New Year’s Eve finale.

Let’s begin where most people can’t – just for fun. THE BEACH! If you’re lucky to live in the tropics or on the beachfront, set up a cozy spot for two and stream your favorite downtown. There’s nothing more romantic than a kiss set under a star and fireworks-lit night sky.

Another sweet situation is on the dancefloor. Whether it be the club or at a party, now is the time to lasso your partner of choice into a dance. Carefully time when you hit the floor so that by the time midnight strikes, both of you would have been properly warmed up for a good lip-locking. 

 If by chance you have committed to going with your posse of friends to the local countdown celebrations ala Times Square ball-drop, invite your kiss-target to the party- that is if you don’t have a committed partner yet! As a group, you can connive to make a game and have print-outs of the face of your kiss-ired person on a card. Raise your card as the countdown sound “Ten!” The element of surprise will surely make the moment epic.

Rooftops have always been an underrated choice for an epic New Year’s Eve kiss. Can you just imagine this- the whole world beneath you, the sky above? As the entire world scrambles to usher in the year, the two of you are just together, placidly listening to the year-end counting down and as the moment arrives- MAGIC!

The loveliest of kisses happens when a thoughtful surprise is given.  Many people do have to work even as the festivities happen and the parties are a’ rife. If your partner is at work, show up a few minutes before midnight, wine and plastic cups in tow.  Welcome the new year at his work lobby, office, counter or station. It’s in simple and sweet instances like these where the thought (and effort) really count!

The blindfold method takes a cue from the European masquerade ball. Wherever you are caught up with your partner – in a cab on a busy street trying to get to the New Year’s party, in an elevator stuck on the 36th floor, walking on the street (a safe street I may add), in a hotel lobby – just keep a small blindfold handy in case time catches upon where you want to be. Tell him: "I have a surprise for you but you must be blindfolded.” He will literally not see it coming!

When at home with your partner and if for one reason or another, their day had been exhausting- there is nowhere cozier than snuggling on your couch or bed. Whip out some wine, put on some crazy hats and turn on the TV and countdown with the rest of the country and KISS! Oh, if you can’t find crazy hats, you can just wear a smile!

Whatever you do – never hang out too long by the bar!

Preparation is key! Days, even weeks ahead of time – moisturize, hydrate and splash out on that little black dress! Take a hint, carry a mint! If you are going to a party or New Year’s Eve celebration, you never know what kind of food they will serve. There might be hidden garlic cloves in the appetizers or some shrimp that you just cannot resist. Avoid breath smelling like the fisherman’s catch of the day. (Ew!)

Keep calm and bring lip balm. Freshen up a few minutes before the countdown starts. Primp a bit and get yourself kiss-ready. Manifestation is everything. Play your favorite cinematic kiss in your mind, and picture yourself in their shoes (or lips). That will set your inner mood and orient you towards the action.

A little wine goes a long way; essential for a cold night, frayed nerves and relaxing the mood. A lot of wine works as well...just don’t drink yourself to sleep into the new year and miss out on the action!

Be confident in your choice. You have picked out that special person who shall be the recipient of your elusive lip lock – don’t back out! Make sure to establish eye contact in the earlier hours and communicate non-verbally your intention. A brush of the hand, a dance, a shared joke. You will be able to read the signals he bounces off to you – and if he is in it, then you are in for a midnight kiss treat!

Pursue the proximity. Get closer to your man as the year draws to a close. Don’t hide behind a planter and pounce on him with a smooch or you might get a mistaken ninja kick to the face! Just be near, hold hands, dance close...and then closer. Perhaps you can pull away a bit sometimes – ha!

Just avoid being too feely touchy and be all over the other person. If you are at a public celebration, it must still maintain a degree of wholesomeness- well, at least a PG-13!

Start soft. There is nothing more exciting than a tentative exploration of possibilities when giving a kiss – much less than that all-important New Year’s Eve smooch. Set your lips lightly on his and press gently. Be just a tad shy and take his cue. That being said, do not have to wait for the men to always initiate-nowadays, men find women who take control very sexy!

There is so much that one can read in the first few seconds of a kiss; depth of emotion, responsiveness to each other, compatibility and, yes, personal hygiene. And as Idina Menzel sand “Let It Go.” Enjoy the moment. It might turn out a friendly peck on the lips or a shy “there’s more to come in the New Year” type of kiss. Passion may just ignite (or re-ignite, whatever the case may be) and lead to something more!

The world is filled with too much stuffiness and strife that we do need a fresh start. Achieving that epic kiss is the perfect start to an amazing 2020. As we go through prepping ourselves, we must always keep in mind that our coming year need not be shaped with a single kiss. But an amazing one sure will surely start us on the right foot! Or, shall we say, right lip?