44% of you have sent a New Year’s Eve message you’ve regretted

Fireworks, bubbles, and toasting at midnight. They’re all part and parcel of New Year’s Eve. But really, the New Year doesn’t start until you get the obligatory “Happy New Year!!!!” message from your mates and family.

And is it really New Year's Eve if a family member doesn’t message you at 8pm, ringing in the new year “before the networks get busy!”

It’s become such a staple that we wanted to know what your NYE WhatsApp style is. Are you a copy and paste and send to all kind of WhatsApp-er? Or do you carefully craft each individual message tailored to the specific person? Maybe you use the occasion to shoot your shot? We wouldn’t blame you.

Well we asked and you answered. Here’s what the LADbible audience had to say about their NYE WhatsApp game…

It seems like New Year’s Eve is the time of year where you feel like WhatsApp-ing someone random. 24% of you will be messaging someone on NYE that they don’t usually message. Maybe someone you haven’t spoken to since school? Or an ex co-worker you’ve lost touch with? Someone even got a Happy New Year from “A telephone banking clerk I got chatting to years ago and we always keep in touch.” Which is kind of sweet right?

And that’s the great thing about WhatsApp. No matter where you are in the world, you can communicate with anyone at any time! In fact, 36% of you have friends or family living abroad that you’ll message on NYE. It’s quicker than a postcard and more spontaneous than sending out a Zoom link.

It’s also the time of year where you get to look back and reflect on what you’re grateful for, which is why 30% of you use your NYE WhatsApp to say thank you to someone for the past year. Aww we’re just a bunch of softies really aren’t we?

Now we don’t know whether this is out of just pure laziness, or people are just too popular but hilariously, 34% of you lot just copy and paste the same message to everyone while 55% keep your messages brief and to the point. I mean, there’s no denying it gets the job done but the same message to your Mum AND Dave from the office? Come on.

We'll admit that New Year’s Eve has a definite air or romance surrounding it. Maybe it’s the excitement of the festive season, the thought of another year coming to a close or probably a mix of both, but quite a few of you get a bit lustful. 9% of you want to hear from a crush this year while 32% of you would rather hear from an ex flame than an ex colleague this New Year. We see you…

Lots of people also told us that they’d DM a celeb on NYE - hey, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take right?

However, 44% of you have sent a NYE message you’ve regretted. It happens! And a little glass of fizz can seriously cloud your judgement.

But at the end of the day, it’s all about staying connected with those you love. We asked how it makes you feel sending meaningful NYE messages. 34% answered with “all the feels”, 25% felt nostalgic but 5% said they got nervous. We get it, it can be hard to express your feelings.

However, someone who truly knows the value of a solid WhatsApp message got a little more descriptive and said that sending meaningful messages makes them feel like “a warm slice of cake.” Which I think we can all agree is just bloody delightful.

So, whether you’re taking it easy on the sofa, working a night shift or trying to get into any club that’ll take you, let’s all aim to make someone feel like a warm slice of cake with a lovely WhatsApp this New Year.