MY LIFE: Things to do on New Year’s Eve at home

I am not going anywhere on New Year’s. Instead, my husband and daughter and I are staying home and celebrating. We’re getting steaks and lobster tails, playing some games, and watching the ball drop. That’s fine with me, but others need more excitement, and I have a couple of suggestions.

1. Make a meal out of appetizers. How often do you get to only eat the fun stuff? Pick out one thing for each person in the family and a couple of things everybody likes. Make pizzas or tacos or some other do-it-yourself dishes. Just do it up different, even if it means you order out. Don’t wait too long to place that order, though! You might get stuck in a long line of people wanting their food.
2. Do mocktails (or cocktails if you’re all adults). Kids, especially, love cool drinks, whether punches or other recipes.
3. Watch home videos if you have them. Or look through photos, if only on your laptop. Reminisce about the year that’s passing and what you want for the new year. Make a video while you talk so you can remember everything.
4. Celebrate the new year in different time zones. Every hour, pick a city where the clock is striking midnight. See if you can find footage online of that city’s celebration.
5. Don’t feel like you need to stay up if you’re tired. Go to bed and don’t feel bad about it.
6. Gather blankets, sleeping bags, pillows – whatever’s comfortable, and snuggle up. There’s no need to stay on the furniture. No one’s watching!
7. Make a list of the accomplishments of everyone in the family. Let each person decide what they want; don’t push them to add or subtract items. Hang it up on the fridge to remind yourselves of your collective awesomeness.
8. Use only candles and the lovely glow of the TV to light your way. Bonus if they’re scented (and the scents don’t bother you).
9. Plan a charity activity to do during the next year. My family is collecting goods and money for Operation Christmas Child so we can send a whole bunch of boxes to needy kids next Christmas.
10. Invite others in your life who are struggling, whether with illness, money, divorce, or one of the tons of other things that can make this time of year suck.
11. Make a “Game of the Hour”. Put different games in envelopes and open one each hour. They don’t all have to be board games. They can be video games, puzzles, trivia, or just making something up. This will help with the possible boredom factor.
12. Do resolution Mad-Libs. Print out some things like “The person I most want to be like is…” and hand them out. See what you and your friends/family can come up with.

What things do you like to do when celebrating New Year’s Eve? Tell me in the comments!