mixing ingredients for dip
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5 Memorable New Year’s Eve Activities for Families

New Year’s Eve isn’t for everyone, and celebrating it can be difficult for parents, but if you’re looking for ways to celebrate the countdown this year, I have some super doable options. Keep reading for 5 memorable New Year’s Eve activities for families that only a parent could understand, and pick your favorite!

1. Celebrate early

Even though bringing in the New Year with the little ones sounds awesome, letting them stay up super late to watch the start of the New Year usually isn’t. Enter the early celebration. There are some families that play a ball drop from the previous year at 9 p.m. Others take their children to a New Year’s Eve party at local play centers with all the live kid-friendly excitement of a New Year’s Eve party, but at an earlier hour.

2. Throw your own bash

If you can’t go to the party, bring the New Year’s Eve party home. Your “bash” can be a family affair or an after-bedtime grown-ups-only night. It doesn’t matter if you invite one other couple, a couple of close friends, or everyone you know, the beauty of a New Year’s Eve party at home is that it’s yours to throw however you want (and having friends over will keep you up to midnight so you don’t miss a thing). Invite your friends with kids over for a family countdown, or a kiddo sleepover where the kids sleep and the adults get to speak to other people their age.

3. Go out

If you’re one of the rare parents able to go out on New Year’s Eve because you found a babysitter or your teen is responsible enough to be left home alone— Do it! It’s important to keep the spark going in a relationship and to not only remind yourself about your romantic partnership with your spouse but also about who you are when you’re not always in parent mode. There are so many amazing options for NYE, and they pretty much sell out quickly, but even at last minute you can find an event or make up your own ways to celebrate. Go on an adventure to the beach, watch fireworks go off, or do a pub crawl at all your favorite spots from pre-kiddo . . . just don’t waste that precious kid-free time.

4. Celebrate the next day instead

OK, so not everyone wants to stay up and wait for the New Year when they can simply fall asleep and then wake up well-rested. If that’s you, shrug off the pressure to stay up and enjoy any opportunity you have to sleep. You have kids, and we all know how hard it is to get a decent night’s sleep. Get to bed early and make special plans for New Year’s Day as a family instead!

5. Have a quiet night in

Stock your kitchen with some fondue mixings, some fruit, pretzels . . . maybe some ice cream and cocoa, and enjoy the countdown snuggled up at home. I love cheesy artichoke dip so I’m planning on making some of that with the kiddo this year so that she feels like she’s a part of the celebration (recipe, here). Since watching some TV or staying up late may not be new to you, make it special with some fun little New Year’s Eve poppers and treats you wouldn’t always have at snuggle time in the evening (maybe you don’t always have snuggle time! Make today the exception).

How do you spend New Year’s Eve?

5 Memorable New Year\'s Eve Activities for Families

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