4 Ideas for Family New Years Fun!




image courtesy of Vlado/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net



Before we started our family, my husband and I used to go away or go out to parties on New Year's Eve; but once our daughter was born, we found we didn't want to celebrate without her, so we started some fun family year-end traditions that have become really precious to us!  Now that she has moved into her school-age years, our traditions have become even more enjoyable and special, particularly to her, so here are four of our favorite ways to ring in the New Year as a family:

Looking Back and Ahead:  This is one of our favorites, and one that has only become more fun as our daughter has grown.  While my husband and I enjoy sharing our favorite memories from the year past and our hopes and plans for the year to come, the real fun is hearing about the past year from the point of view of our daughter and hearing what she is most looking forward to in the new year.  This past few years I wrote down our memories and hopes for the new year, but I'm looking forward to having her write her own entry this year!!!

Game Night: We play a lot of family games even without a holiday, but we try to jazz up the event with fun appetizers and drinks!  Everyone picks their own favorites and we each take turns picking what we will play next (our favorites are Settlers of Catan, Dixit, Coup, Life, and Yahtzee).

Special Meal: Every year we plan our New Year's dinner around our favorite foods; historically it has included a lot of macaroni and cheese, but we've also introduce some more exotic fare, such as enchiladas, chicken korma, home-made pork fried rice, lamb kabobs, and even chicken and shrimp etouffe!

Movie Night: Always fun and relaxing!  Again, we each pick our favorite movie and then take turns watching each one with popcorn and other indulgent movie snack goodies (M&Ms, pretzel bites, peanuts, etc.).  May be hard to do in larger families, and beware the favorite movie syndrome; after three consecutive years watching the same Harry Potter movie, we had to institute a no re-runs rule from year to year!

However you choose to ring in the new year, we at Travel-Tot wish you and your family a safe, happy, and healthy 2014!