Burst the New Year's bubble with these tips

Here's the thing about New Year's Eve: There's a lot of hype. Pressure. Forced fabulousness.

The idea is that you must be doing something interesting or fulfilling at the precise moment we're swept into a new year, or you'll feel inadequate. You don't want to be forced to admit you spent the most glamorous night of the year doing laundry.

Thus, New Year's Eve requires strict planning and discipline. At right, you'll find options for celebrating the triumph of another year (no small feat!), but these are mere suggestions. You also need to know how to think. I've cultivated the following guidelines after having had a number of New Year's Eves fizz out like bad champagne.

Keep expectations low

Certainly, excitement seems to be pulsing through the atmosphere. Knowing that people 'round the world are giddily packed into Times Square or some hot club with firecrackers shooting out of champagne bottles can get you panting like a puppy. Don't. Dial it back. Make a plan, stick to it and accept that as your fate for the evening. Yes, P. Diddy or Jimmy Buffett could burst through the doors of the place you've picked and offer to fly everyone to Paris for the night, but it's probably not going to happen. So chill and enjoy the evening on its own merits. Think of it as a simple birthday party for your friend, the calendar.

Watch the time when traveling

There's nothing cute about being stuck in traffic at 11:58 p.m. on the way to awesome town. If you do decide to party-hop, leave plenty of time for traveling. Otherwise, you risk being the shmendrick who arrives at 12:03 a.m. to find everyone hugging, clinking glasses and finishing "Auld Lang Syne."

Don't start drinking too early

New Year's Eve is like your birthday: It's very easy to start toasting before your big party and then, before you know it, you're propped up in a sad, unfortunate puddle as all the merriment rages on without you. Not chic. To avoid passing out before the hats and noisemakers are distributed, fight temptations to start whooping it up before, say, 8 or 9 p.m. Pace yourself with plenty of food and water. It's going to be a long night.

Don't be afraid to do quiet or low-key

These often end up being the best New Year's celebrations anyway. There is no shame - rather, there's a lot of cool - in doing a quiet dinner with a few friends, going to church for some spiritual fulfillment or just staying home and doing a crossword puzzle. No crowds, no inebriated drivers to worry about, little money spent. Nowhere is it written that you must go out and rage nonsensically because a new year is approaching, even though in a perfect world you'd get to perfectly blend low-key expectations and high-energy wilding out with a rocking house party.