By Vicki Little
New Year’s Eve in our 20s was definitely night and day from New Year’s Eve with kids. The thought of getting dressed up, heading downtown, partying, and then finding a designated driver to get home safely suddenly seems like a lot more work than it used to be. And let’s face it, our kids probably have an easier time than we do staying up until after the ball drops. The good news is, a New Year’s Eve Party with the family at home can be just as exciting — and far less expensive — than a night on the town. So this year, leave those pinching high heels in the closet, keep your money in your wallet, and celebrate the New Year with the ones you love. Check out these five fun ways to spend New Year’s Eve at home with your kids.
1) Get Festive. It doesn’t matter if no one is around to see you, getting dressed up and getting festive can be fun no matter what! Or maybe Pajama Parties are more your family’s style. Have a little fun getting dressed up and decorating the house. Use fancy plates, wrap sparkly chenille stems around the bottom of champagne glasses, hang some streamers, and blow up balloons. Let the kids go wild with the decorations!
2) Have a Special Dinner. There is no “right” New Year’s Eve dinner. If your family loves sushi, maybe think of making some of your own. How about having everyone’s favorite appetizer, having dessert for dinner, or letting the kids decide what to have. Make dinner something that your kids can only have for dinner on this special occasion so that it is super fun and memorable.
3) Open Countdown Bags. Each hour, open another bag that holds the answer to “what are we going to do now?” and also includes a little treat such as a snack, small toy, noise maker or some other treat. The activities can be anything! Suggestions include playing a board game, baking cookies, coloring together, making a time capsule, writing out family resolutions, or anything else your family enjoys! A cute variation of this is to put the activities on a slip of paper inside numbered balloons that you can pop on the hour as you count down.
4) Ring in 2016. While you are popping the bubbly, let the kids have some fun, too. Get some cotton candy (most Dollar Stores and Walmart have it) and sparkling water or Perrier. When combined, they create a bubbly and tasty drink. Toast, hug and kiss, make some noise and maybe even spray some silly string. If you are really ambitious, you can make your own balloon drop. It can even be one of your hourly activities! A quick Pinterest search will give you instructions on how to do this.
5) Have a Slumber Party. Settling down after all that sugar and fun may take a few minutes, and many times kids aren’t quite ready to call it a night. Plan to have a slumber party right in the living room! Pull out the sleeping bags or air mattresses, grab some blankets and pillows and pop in a good movie. Then turn out the lights and relax. Those little eyes (and the big ones, too!) will be closed before you know it, and the best part is you will start 2016 snuggled up together!
Vicki Little is a work-at-home mom with two young kids. A Colorado native, she is the Publisher and Editor of Macaroni Kid Aurora and Downtown Denver. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering, reading, camping, or enjoying a bottle of wine with friends.
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