More people than you might think are ringing in the new year without that designated partner to kiss at midnight.
If you're one of them, it can be tempting to knock back one too many glasses of bubbly and seek out some hot stranger, or even avoid the celebrations altogether, but we have some better ideas.
Here, four foolproof ways to make it to midnight and beyond in one piece:
1. Create your own playground.
Let's face it: New Year's Eve is one of those occasions that rarely live up to all the hype. So, instead of paying a ridiculous cover charge at a random bar or going to a party where you'll be surrounded by couples, why not create your own New Year's Eve experience on your terms? Throw a party at your place, but only invite singles. Have your best girlfriends over and dance the night away to 80s music. You can make New Year's Eve whatever you want it to be. Get creative!
2. Look and feel hot, just for you.
It's totally understandable if you want to go out in style on the last night of 2010. Have fun with it! Go shopping for the cutest New Year's Eve dress you can find & wear it like a rock star. Pamper yourself by getting your nails done, adding some fake eyelashes, and putting on the reddest lipstick you can find. We highly recommend looking amazing and having an insane amount of fun. Just make sure you're doing it for you... and nobody else. Not for some guy you might meet -- and definitely not for your ex. A little confidence works wonders in the way people see you, and in how you see yourself.
3. Don't text the ex!
Don't you dare reach for that phone after too many flutes of champagne or too many hours spent longing for your ex during the wind-up to midnight. A slurred, emotional conversation or series of embarrassing drunk texts is not going to solve anything. It ended for a reason, and the beginning of the new year should be exactly that -- a beginning. There's no better time than the present to pick yourself back up and start moving forward without looking back. So, turn your phone off this New Year's Eve -- or better yet, leave it at home altogether.
4. New year, new you.
The best part of New Year's Eve isn't the night itself; it's the new beginning that comes in the moments after midnight. 2011 is full of possibilities. So, why not indulge in New Year's resolutions with a twist? Take time to create a list of 10 awesome and adventurous things you're going to do in the new year... and really do them. Make sure you share your list with at least one other girlfriend, so she can hold you to it.
You've got the next 365 days to make the year whatever you want it to be.