In our twenties (pre-children!) finding somewhere to go where you didn’t have to queue for ages to get an overpriced drink was a serious challenge. The alternative was throwing a house party, where you then had the epic clean up to deal with the morning after while nursing a hangover! If like us, you now have small people to consider, then most likely you’ll be staying at home for something a little more low-key! Here are our top tips for some fun and hassle-free family New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Timings
Are you worried about keeping children up until midnight (or even thinking you’d like to be in bed before then too!)? Consider having afternoon/ early evening celebrations instead and pick up the countdown from Australia as they’ll hit midnight at 1 o’clock in the afternoon UK time. If you get everything else in place, you can easily fake the usual midnight celebrations with a good music playlist or a video of fireworks from Sydney Harbour Bridge courtesy of YouTube! If you decide to brave it until midnight, then try and break up the evening with games, a family movie or a mini-disco. Which leads us to our next tip…
Music
Spotify playlists can be a real life-saver but, if you want to get all the family involved then ask them to each pick their top five songs of the year and compile a family playlist! Don’t forget to chuck in some family favourites & Disney classics for smaller family members too. No NYE party would be complete without some party classics (Black Lace anyone!?) and of course, Auld Lang Syne & some Big Ben chimes to ring in the New Year. If you do manage to stay up until midnight, tune into Radio One or flick on BBC to watch Jools Holland’s Hootenanny to really get in the mood!
Food
New Year’s Eve is most definitely the day to take the easy option when it comes to food! Keep it buffet style, eat up any last remains of Christmas and get some easy to cook party food platters that will keep everyone happy. Paper plates/cups and plastic cutlery will ease the pain of the New Year’s Day clean-up operation too. Get all the family involved in making a child-friendly punch or fruit cocktail and try not to worry about the diet after Christmas excesses for one more day! If you are in for the long haul, a buffet will mean everyone can graze throughout the evening, to help keep energy levels up! If your children are really small and an early bedtime calls, then try a meal for two for an easy date-night at home.
Games
Pinterest or a quick google search can be a great source of inspiration for party games. Board game classics such as Twister, Cluedo, Uno & Pictionary are all great games to have in the house too. Playing games is a great way to keep children entertained and helps break up the evening if you are trying to keep boredom levels down ahead of midnight. Try and find a few games that are fun for all the family and you’ll be on to a winner.
Fireworks & Decorations
If you can stretch to some fireworks or sparklers (and the weather holds!), then these can be a nice touch if celebrations continue into the evening. If you need to keep things indoors, make sure you have plenty of party poppers for when midnight strikes. You could pick a black & gold theme or go for a favourite colour with matching paper plates, balloons etc. and there’s always Amazon Prime or your local supermarket to pick up last-minute bits on the day if needed!
Reflect
If you are celebrating NYE as a family, find fifteen minutes of quiet time to look back at the past year and pick out your favourite memories. Look back through photos that have been taken on iPads/phones and talk about happy times spent together as a family.
Whatever you end up doing on New Year’s Eve, we hope you enjoy the evening and look back at 2017 with fondness.
Wishing everyone a fantastic 2018 from all the team – HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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