Another year has come and it’s almost gone, I can’t believe that the New Year is right around the corner. While it’s nice to get out and hang with friends, I love staying at home on New Years Eve with my family. It took me a few years to know how to throw a good New Year’s Eve party with family, but I’m certain I’ve gotten into a groove that’s idiot proof.
Get the Kids Involved
One trick to celebrating the New Year with family is to get the kids involved. Ask them what they want to do on New Year’s and how they want to celebrate. They might just want to sit in their pajamas and watch Christmas movies and that’s okay by me.
Make Kid Friendly Snacks
When you’re throwing a party for kids, you have to remember that it needs to be centered around kids. Every year I choose a theme and then make kid friendly snacks around that theme. For example, my party theme might be “Super Hero’s,” so we’ll focus on snacks that have to do with super heroes. This is always a ton of fun and the kids love it, both the big kids and the small kids.
No Arguing Rule
In my house, there has to be a no arguing rule implemented during the New Years Eve party. Since I’m letting the kids stay up later than normal, I refuse to let them argue. If they get tired, they can simply go to bed, no big deal and no stress. Most of the time my kids do okay with this rule because they LOVE staying up and watching the ball drop.
Make it Fun
There are only so many days a year that kids get to stay up past their bed time. I try to let my stern side go for a bit and I really allow the kids to have fun. We might do something like make S’mores over the stove or even build a fort. Hey, I like pretending to be a kid sometimes too and building a fort is the way to go. I really want Madison to look back at these memories and have good feelings. Letting myself be a kid from time to time is one way to do that. New Years Eve is always a fun time for our family because I try not to get stressed out or let the little things bother me.
No Internet
One of my resolutions for this year is to be in the moment with my kids. This year, while celebrating New Year’s with family, I want to put away the Internet and focus on the family. You’re just going to be scrolling down a newsfeed full of people counting down and posting pictures of their families celebrating. I hope you’ll join me in no Internet and just being in the moment.
Celebrating the New Year with our family is always fun, but that’s because we make it fun. Think of ways in which you can make this precious holiday fun for your family too.
Share some of your tips in the comments, I’d love to hear them!
