What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

Before I had kids, I was convinced that the only way to spend New Year’s Eve was out. It didn’t have to be a big expensive party. It just had to be somewhere that wasn’t wherever I was living at the time. Now that I have a family, I’d rather stay home and enjoy them after the hustle and bustle of the past month. I also don’t feel like spending any more money, and if you’ve been out on New Year’s Eve, you know how fast it can add up.

If staying home on New Year’s Eve is appealing to you, here are some ideas to help you enjoy the evening with your family, affordably.

Family Game Night

Twister anyone? Pull out the family’s favorite board game, rent a fun game on DVD or even pop that Just Dance game into your Wii, Playstation or other video game console. Nothing makes me smile more than watching an adult and a child go head to head in a video dance competition. Family game night is fun, virtually free and builds memories your entire family will hold with them forever.

Movie Night

Sometimes movie night starts as pajama day and just never ends. If you’re not tired of Christmas movies, a good one to watch on New Year’s Eve is It’s a Wonderful Life. If you start early enough, you can have each family member choose a movie and still have time to switch the TV to Times Square in New York to watch the big ball welcome in the New Year.

Fireworks

For several years our New Year’s tradition was to head out to the country for the evening and light off our own fireworks with friends on their property. Don’t let living in the suburbs keep you from closing out 2012 with a bang. Get some sparklers for the kids and celebrate a shiny new year.

Make Your Own {Fill in the Blank} Contest

My husband and I started this long before our son was born, and now he likes it as much as we do. We make our own pizzas, and the sky is the limit on creativity. Of course, three pizzas and three judges generally ends in a tie, but when you get to eat the contest entries, everybody comes out a winner. You can do this with anything. Make your own ice cream sundaes. Decorate your own cookies. Build your own nachos. The possibilities are endless.

NYE Under the Stars

What’s the next best thing to a telescope? Apparently it’s a smartphone. Using apps like Google Sky Map (Android) or Sky Walk (iPhone/iPad), simply point your phone to the night sky and it will tell you what you’re looking at. Want to look at a different planet or star? Tell your phone where you want to go and it will help you navigate your led screen to the right spot in the sky. Go ahead. Grab your smartphone, build a fire, gather the family and reminisce about your favorite moments of 2012.

Happy New Year!