It is customary for troops to decorate a tree at the base for the holidays and sit down for a festive meal on New Year's Eve. The troops often bake traditional holiday pastry, including "potica" a rich roll cake baked at nearly any holiday occasion in Slovenia.

On New Year's Eve the troops that are not on duty usually gather at the base. Often someone brings a guitar, while many soldiers use the opportunity to talk with their loved ones at home via internet.

Korez however pointed out that New Year's Eve was one of the most critical moments in terms of security and troops cannot let their guard down.

According to data from mid-December, 418 Slovenian troops were deployed abroad, 301 of them in Kosovo.