Celebrating the New Year at Home

Ever since having kids we have not been big on going out on New Year’s Eve anyway, but this year there was no question whether we would be staying home to celebrate or not.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be just as much fun though!

Here are some ideas we are doing to kick off 2021 the right way with and without the kids!

Decorate and Make Our Own Party Supplies!

We’re going to go all out with decorating including balloons, garland, and more! We are also going to make our own party crowns and horns to stretch out the fun! You can get all of the materials to do this and instructions, plus lots of other fun ideas listed here and some that aren’t in my New Year’s Eve Celebration Kit!

Create a Time Capsule

This has been such a funny year so to remember all of the crazy twists and turns, we are going to put together a time capsule. I love the ideas included in the Magic Playbook’s January packet, but you can certainly put together your own.

Ask your kids the following and write it down:

About Me: Name, age, what they want to be when they grow up

Their Favorites: Food, book, movie, toy, color, and friends

Their Best Memory from 2020

What They Want in 2021

Add a photo or drawing of your family by them and any other fun facts

You can also put together a fun sheet on how much different things cost this year like gas, milk, toys, postage stamp, and movie tickets.

What were the most popular TV shows, songs, famous people, and toys.

And what were some big events that happened this year that you want to write down and remember?

Finally, add any personal items you think represent this year. It could be artwork or drawings, a memento, a photo, your holiday card, anything!

Then put it in a box (anything you have handy, decorate or wrap the box together and put a sign on it that says “do not open until…” and pick a date where you can unearth the time capsule and look inside. Maybe it’s next year, maybe it’s 5 years from now. You decide!

Do a Balloon Countdown

Whether you have older kids or younger kids, a balloon countdown is a fun way to ring in the New Year. We start with 10 balloons (and you can really start your countdown as early in the day as you want if you don’t plan on staying up until midnight. I put confetti in my balloons and add numbers to them for the countdown part. We pop them every hour and I usually have a fun treat or activity to go along with the countdown. It may be hot cocoa, play a game, get a prize, create your time capsule, make a New Year’s wish, etc. The main point is to have fun!

Write Wishes for the New Year and Reflect Back on the Past

On cards (I have some cute ones that I designed and are included in the New Year’s Eve Celebration Kit, write what you were grateful for in 2020, what you wish for 2021, and anything else you would like to remember. You can place these in your time capsule or simply read them aloud and share them with your family.

How will you celebrate the New Year? What traditions will you keep going and what are some new ones you may introduce?