How to Enjoy New Year's Eve at Home With Your Family

Spending New Year's Eve with the family can be a fantastic opportunity to bond, have fun together and to see in the new year with your loved ones. Here is how to spend quality time with your family on New Year's Eve.

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Cook up an amazing meal. This is the night to have all the food that you and your family would not normally make at home due to expense or effort. Considering that eating out on New Year's Eve often costs more when the prices are increased for the event, this is a good excuse to splurge a little. Ask family members to contribute both their skills and any resources to help turn it into a feast.

• Delegate. Assign each person to be responsible for a different task, recipe, or course. Food choices can include seafood, fish or vegetarian (these selections make a great break from all the poultry over the holiday period). Add lots of fresh salads and perhaps tapas type dishes to keep food light but varied.
• Light candles, use silverware and bring out the best china. You may not be able to afford upmarket restaurants, but who says you can’t dine in style at home?
• In countries celebrating New Year's Eve during summer, it's a great chance to have a New Year's Eve picnic. Eating al fresco is a great way for you and your family to spend quality time together. Have each person contribute/make the food, bring some wine for the adults (juice for the kids) and drive to your favorite spot. It's sure to trigger some deep and meaningful conversation between your family and yourself.
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  2
  Decide together on things to do. There are lots of opportunities to spend fun time together on New Year's Eve, depending on where you live and the climate. Simply sitting down together and reminiscing over where the past year has taken you each individually and your family as a whole is a great way to spend one part of the night. Other ideas include:
  • Taking a walk together as a family. If you're in a warm climate, try the beach, the local park, favorite streets, etc. If you're in a cold climate, rug up, and head for favorite walking spots that aren't too difficult to navigate in the dark and cold. You can still go to your favorite beach if you've all bundled up adequately during a winter New Year's Eve. Sharing a walk together can be a great opportunity to share things that might not be discussed just sitting around the house.
  • Confirming a new start. If your family is planning a new start, perhaps walk or drive to somewhere meaningful to mark the start of your new journey together. For example, if you're moving cities, try going to a lookout over the city and saying farewell to the city and toasting to your new start.
  • Tasting food or drink. Try a wine, champagne, beer, chocolate or other food tastingevent for the evening. There are non-alcoholic versions of wine and beer for those unable to drink. Keep scorecards to add to the evening's entertainment.
  • Playing board games. Set up a major board games night, with some cool prizes for winners, along with lots of delicious nibbles and drinks. Have games suited to all ages so that everyone can join in the fun. It helps to assign a coordinator for such an event––choose the family member who loves organizing everything.
  • Playing physical games such as foosball, air hockey, Wii sports, ping pong or table tennis, shooting hoops, etc. Again, prizes can be awarded or simply keep score.
  • Watching movies or even something like a concert or a Broadway show. Choosing really good DVD material to watch gets everyone off the usual pulp on TV on New Year's Eve and provides a focal point for the whole family to sit down together and watch through an entire show. Supply nibbles and drinks as usual, and provide distractions for the little ones.
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  Make a New Year's resolution together. In a circle, ask everyone to announce their New Year's resolutions. Many people like to make new resolutions for the coming year. Don't push too hard though––if someone wants to keep theirs a secret, let it be! But don't try to make it all fancy. Really try!
  • This can be a good chance to make resolutions that require the help of others. For example, if you want to learn to ride a horse and Uncle George is an excellent horse rider, you could ask Uncle George if he'll help you to learn. Or, if you want to lose weight, you can ask your family to help you by keeping their snacks hidden or to try your healthy new meals.
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  Invite other families over. Invite neighboring families over for a potluck or take-in dinner, or for games. Enjoy the close conversation, lots of laughs, sharing of reminiscences, all minus the crowds and strangers.
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  Keep an eye on the time. Have a fantastic idea for the countdown planned well in advance. Choose something that rings in the New Year with a bang and let your neighbors know you're having more fun than they are. Ideas for celebrating include:
  • Lighting sparklers, drumming on bongo drums, yelling "Happy New Year" as loudly as possible all together, tooting your car horn, dancing in the yard and cheering.
  • Opening a bottle of bubbly to share with the rest of the family at midnight. Kids, teens and teetotallers can drink the many non-alcoholic sparkling alternatives.
  • Singing Auld Lang Syne and hold the hands of everyone participating. Swing your arms back and forth in time to the song. It can be fun to see which family members think this is "tragic", "silly", or simply wriggle out of it!
  • Gazing at fireworks. If you can see the fireworks from where you live, sit together and watch them from home, or wander to a local spot together where you can see them.