The description of the day you spent with your friend is very nice, what I liked the most was the nature and being with people you love, I think it's the most genuine thing there is.
My Christmas time was quiet, with my family, phone calls from my aunt and uncle .... my aunt doesn't want me to see her, but I could hear her, and that's important, friends who gave me beautiful messages of support that I didn't expect.
Now I am working but well, happy and for the new year.... pasta... I will cook Italian pasta! It will be quiet, with the family, but nothing too complicated. Peace and harmony.
I always find new year's eve to be somewhat of anticlimactic. On those rare occasions I've gone out it's felt hollown, the night never lived up to the hype and these days I stay home. Last year I had a group of people over for a BBQ but this year there'll be no one, just us.
I hope you have a good end of the year and the new one is prosperous.
It has also happened to me and I think it has to do with the year that is leaving, thoughts that are often unconscious. That can generate a feeling of emptiness, like an internal analysis, for a year that is leaving.
We too, quiet and alone. Food, movies and peace.
I wish you all the best for the coming year, may your wishes for others be multiplied for you.