Do you know about Hogmanay, possibly the biggest New Year's Eve party in the world?

Hogmanay - The Scottish New Year Festival

I'm a homebody, so I tend to celebrate modestly, but after researching this article, I'm thinking it might be fun to join in the hootenany! How do you welcome the new year?

Fireworks are legal here in the Netherlands from 6pm till 2am - so we watch them out our front and back windows - many of our neighbors set them off. We have a glass of sparkling cider and ollieballen (the original fried doughnuts). At midnight my DH and his brother phone each other - that is their tradition. - Yes, today is my birthday! We're going out for an Italian dinner in our little village.

OMGosh, that sounds like so much fun!!!

We'll have a quiet new year at home. Watch some movies, eat good food

On New Year's Day we'll do a fondue lunch with the family.

Happy New Year!

I had a quiet evening at home, but had a good view of other people's fireworks. And a beautiful clear sky dominated by Orion.

But in Scotland the sky put on quite a show. A Hogmanay geomagnetic storm developed that must have been quite a sight for Scandinavian celebrations since the aurorae were even unusually strong in Scotland. Here is a picture from Glenfarg of fireworks in an auroral sky. (But note: the green of the sky is brighter than you would see it with your own eyes - the camera can see colors in dim light which our eyes can't.)