New Year's Eve at Home with the Kids

Remember the days when New Year's Eve meant dancing until all hours and sleeping through a good part of New Year's Day? Now you're grown and the kids don't let you sleep in for long, no matter what the occasion! Here are some ways to make the New Year celebration a fun one - at home with the kiddies!

1. Make it a party! Just because you aren't out at a dance club doesn't mean you can't put on some fun dance music and have a dance party with the kids. Last year, we put on everything from disco to salsa and actually had a fantastic time dancing in the dark in our living room!

2. Make dinner something special. It may not be a fancy restaurant or a fully stocked buffet, but dinner doesn't have to be take-out pizza either! Make some special appetizers, cook up some ribs, pull out all those recipes you've been saving for when you have a party, and make them for your family! Fondue is fun for kids and how about a special New Year's cake or some fun dessert like a make-your-own-banana-split table. Buy some nonalcoholic bubbly (okay, maybe a little of the real stuff for the parents!) and toast to a great year and an even better new year!

3. Decorate and buy the party hats. Have the kids put up shiny decorations and make sparkly posters announcing the new year! Buy or make sparkly party hats and buy some noise makers. Run out in the yard for a few minutes and wake up the boring neighbors who went to sleep long before midnight!

4. If the kids are too little to stay awake until midnight, pick an earlier hour to celebrate. We have relatives in Europe and celebrate our first new year at 6pm along with that part of our family! If you have satellite TV, you can even choose a foreign channel and watch their countdown. It's fun to see how other countries ring in the new year!

5. Play some games. We always mean to have game night, but somehow never seem to have the time! New Year's Eve is the perfect time, since we are all looking for ways to stay awake anyway! Play Monopoly, Pictionary, Cranium, rummy - whatever your family enjoys!

6. Invite a few kids over for a mini New Year's Eve party. All of the above can be enjoyed with a few friends. Invite the neighborhood kids over for a 6-9pm party. There will be many parents who will be thrilled that you are willing to entertain their kids! Be the fun family!

7. Wake up early and have a great breakfast. Then get outside and enjoy the quiet morning that begins the New Year. While others are sleeping in, take a hike or do something special outdoors. The crisp winter air and the sense of renewal that comes with the New Year are a refreshing combination!

However you decide to celebrate the New Year with your family, take the time to reflect on the good that happened this year and to set some goals for the new year! Do it as a family and set some family goals as well. Happy New Year!