<p>The time spent with family, especially during festivals, increases the value of those moments. And the memories that come along are indeed worth remembering for a lifetime. <br /><br /></p>.<p>As the holidays for the New Year begin, many in the city are ready with packed bags, counting the hours left to head home. <br /><br />However, there are also those who will give their family a miss this new year (for some it’s their first New Year away from home), either due to their busy schedule or <br />because they can’t take off from work. <br /><br />So how are they planning to celebrate the beginning of a new year? While some want to be indoors and spend some quiet time with themselves, there are others who are looking forward to catching up with their long lost friends or planning a house party with them. <br /><br />Siddharth P Nongkhlaw, who stays with his sister here, says, “It has been five years in a row that I haven’t celebrated New Year with my family. Though there is absolutely no replacement for the time one spends with their loved ones, this year my sister and I are planning to call our friends over for a barbeque night and have a quiet New Year’s eve.” <br /><br />He recalls the time when New Year primarily meant a get together of the entire family. And he says that those memories are fresh in his mind. “Being a travel buff and having an adventurous group of friends, I always plan a trip around new years. This time too, we are planning a trip somewhere nearby during the second week of January, just to take a break from the week,” adds Siddharth. He loves to read and says if time permits, he would like to catch up on some reading too, perhaps complete the book he is on at present.<br /><br />Liya Roy, a copywriter with an advertising agency, loves to spend time with her plants so her main agenda this New Year is to look out for different nurseries and find interesting plants to be added to her mini garden. <br /><br />“I love to stay indoors so I would perhaps snuggle in and read a book or binge watch movies (some of my favourites and others that I have missed). Since I am pretty new to the city, I would like to explore the place with my sister-in-law if time permits,” says Liya. <br /><br />For Lavinia Claris Sootinck, from Shillong, it is her first New Year away from home. She recalls that this time of the year is extremely cold back home. So people are generally seen celebrating New Year’s eve around a bonfire with their families. Lavinia shares that New Year is the only festival when the entire family gets together. <br /><br />“I have always celebrated the beginning of a new year with my family. Barbeque night around a bonfire is the usual sight. But since it’s my final year, my friends and I have planned to celebrate it together. We will be heading to Goa for a music festival this year and enjoy our holidays. I am really looking forward to it,” she says. <br /><br /></p>
<p>The time spent with family, especially during festivals, increases the value of those moments. And the memories that come along are indeed worth remembering for a lifetime. <br /><br /></p>.<p>As the holidays for the New Year begin, many in the city are ready with packed bags, counting the hours left to head home. <br /><br />However, there are also those who will give their family a miss this new year (for some it’s their first New Year away from home), either due to their busy schedule or <br />because they can’t take off from work. <br /><br />So how are they planning to celebrate the beginning of a new year? While some want to be indoors and spend some quiet time with themselves, there are others who are looking forward to catching up with their long lost friends or planning a house party with them. <br /><br />Siddharth P Nongkhlaw, who stays with his sister here, says, “It has been five years in a row that I haven’t celebrated New Year with my family. Though there is absolutely no replacement for the time one spends with their loved ones, this year my sister and I are planning to call our friends over for a barbeque night and have a quiet New Year’s eve.” <br /><br />He recalls the time when New Year primarily meant a get together of the entire family. And he says that those memories are fresh in his mind. “Being a travel buff and having an adventurous group of friends, I always plan a trip around new years. This time too, we are planning a trip somewhere nearby during the second week of January, just to take a break from the week,” adds Siddharth. He loves to read and says if time permits, he would like to catch up on some reading too, perhaps complete the book he is on at present.<br /><br />Liya Roy, a copywriter with an advertising agency, loves to spend time with her plants so her main agenda this New Year is to look out for different nurseries and find interesting plants to be added to her mini garden. <br /><br />“I love to stay indoors so I would perhaps snuggle in and read a book or binge watch movies (some of my favourites and others that I have missed). Since I am pretty new to the city, I would like to explore the place with my sister-in-law if time permits,” says Liya. <br /><br />For Lavinia Claris Sootinck, from Shillong, it is her first New Year away from home. She recalls that this time of the year is extremely cold back home. So people are generally seen celebrating New Year’s eve around a bonfire with their families. Lavinia shares that New Year is the only festival when the entire family gets together. <br /><br />“I have always celebrated the beginning of a new year with my family. Barbeque night around a bonfire is the usual sight. But since it’s my final year, my friends and I have planned to celebrate it together. We will be heading to Goa for a music festival this year and enjoy our holidays. I am really looking forward to it,” she says. <br /><br /></p>
