Gone are the days of partying until the early hours, when you have kids it's not something you do often if at all. When I had my first child I sure did discover who my real friends were. I no longer felt the urge to go out and drink myself into oblivion any more, instead I just wanted to be with my own little family.
New Year's Eve when you have kids can be limiting for those who have previously enjoyed clubbing, but you don't need to party and drink to have fun. I'm not a big alcohol person, I like to be in full control of myself and I don't like the effect alcohol has on my body, plus I would rather put the cash into our holiday fund.
Here is a few ideas of what we have enjoyed over the years.
1) Treat it as any other day.
Previous years our boys have gone to bed at their usual time and Craig and I have stayed up to watch the fireworks on tv with a good old cup of of tea. We would then get up on January 1st and go for a nice walk around the park and do nice family things together to welcome in the new year.
We like to have a nice cooked breakfast, walk around our local park and chat whilst the boys run wild and then go for something nice to eat.
2) Have a games night - Set up loads of family favourite board games and spend the evening competing against each other. You could start early and do some outdoor games first.
Mocktails in full swing for all to enjoy.
3) Go out to a family friendly dance, here in Scotland I have come across a few family ceilidh dances, if this is your thing then go for it! I will be 100% honest, this is not for us. Our boys really don't enjoy doing the Ceilidh.
4) Follow around the world celebrations, watch the fireworks on tv or online and compare. I really like doing this one. You can find the full list HERE what countries celebrate and when.
5) Host your own party, let the kids choose the theme, invite family over and ring in the new year.
6) Go on Holiday - If you have some extra cash after Christmas, why not go somewhere new each year and join in with the local traditions.
7) Celebrate Noon year instead. Perfect if you have really young kids that would be flat out asleep come 8pm . Why not celebrate at lunch time with kids instead. Have a special lunch and you could even watch fireworks from previous years or watch them in Sydney!
8) Do hourly family goodie bags, fill them with different crafts, treats etc
9) Have a movie marathon, special treats just for new year and have a lot of mocktails to drink your way through.
10) Attend a local event. Most places now have family friendly events most times of the year and New years eve is no exception. Enjoy a child friendly disco where they can mingle and make new friends and you can too.
11) You could host your own event for the local community, hire the community centre and have your own fancy dress theme family disco!
Kelly X
Have a lovely New Years eve and I wish you all the very best for 2019.
