From Mary Young.

I’M writing regarding the comment in Under the Clock headlined ‘All quiet on the New Year front’ (JEP 4 January).

I don’t think it’s any secret why Jersey doesn’t go out to celebrate on New Year’s Eve any more. When I came to Jersey 20-plus years ago friends and I used to dress up and go to a hotel where they put on a nice meal followed by a dance and a knees-up at midnight. It was a lovely way to bring in the New Year.

What killed this? Greed! Come the Millennium many of the entertainment establishments both here and in the UK thought they could make a killing by charging exorbitant prices for their New Year’s Eve events that year. Rubbing their hands in glee, they thought they’d be laughing all the way to the bank.

Except it didn’t work like that. People aren’t totally stupid and so many of them decided to buy food and drink in and entertain their friends to a New Year’s Eve party in their homes. Indeed I remember groups of people clubbing together to share the cost of a party in someone’s home rather than pay through the nose to go out. I remember many tickets for New Year’s Eve events remained unsold that year.

And that trend, it seems, has continued as people found they quite liked doing that rather than braving the elements, drunk drivers and getting intimate with complete strangers at midnight. I think also that the recession has played a part. Has anyone else noticed that there are far fewer houses around the Island which have been covered in festive lights this year?

Either people can’t be bothered, feel it’s in poor taste in a recession or simply can’t afford to do it. Whatever the reason I must admit I missed all those jolly twinkling lights as I drove around.

The only good thing, it seems to me, that has come out of the Millennium celebrations is the fantastic firework displays that take place in capital cities around the globe. Who can fail to be impressed? One day I’d love to see one of them live just to be overawed and soak up the atmosphere.

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