ditto. Probably gigged every NYE for about 25-30 years. Not missing it and happy to stay local with family and friends. OTOH, I were offered a NYE gig with significant financial incentives, I'm sure I'd be out there doing it, counting the dollars with every minute.
It was less apparent to me at the time as an active, traveling, gigging musician/mixer because I was just doing what I enjoyed and making hay while the sun shined. In retrospect, though, I need to make up for a LOT of lost time from years past, unable to spend any time with family/friends on virtually every major holiday due to my gig schedule.
As a parent now, I can see how hard it must be - especially for your loved ones - to not hear from you or see you for months on end. I've made it a point to be more available for holidays, birthdays, and personal events, now that I've actively pulled myself from doing gigs as a full-time venture, and I'm much happier for it. There's more to life than doing YET ANOTHER gig for a bunch of people hell bent on getting drunk, even when the money's good. That said, I've also got some fond and fun memories of past NYE gigs I've done.
"Youth is wasted on the young."
