Over the years, I have had the opportunity to celebrate the New Year as a single person, a married couple and as a family with kids. In that time I have had to be creative with my New Years parties and come up with ideas that not only adults enjoy, but the kids as well. As the time for New Years Eve parties is fast approaching, I have gathered up a few of those ideas for those who are having a hard time coming up with some of their own.
I know at my house that half the fun of any party is decorating to the theme, for New Years that means getting the house to look like a party atmosphere. Decorations don't have to cost a lot and you can keep it simple. Look at decorating with silver, black and white in your theme. Confetti is as simple as getting a hole punch and some scrap paper. Hand it to the kids and let them go crazy. Many discount stores have glitter that can be added to the homemade confetti to sparkle up the atmosphere.
For kids' treats on New Years Eve, pop some popcorn and experiment on topping it. Drizzle some chocolate, caramel, or sweeten it with sugar instead of salt (kettle corn). Have the kids make their own New Years Eve hats with construction paper and crayons and some of the leftover glitter. When the time for the countdown approaches, give the kids a goodie bag and then when it turns midnight, toss small prizes and goodies. The kids then can gather them up and put into their goodie bags.
For the more adult parties, take plastic champagne flutes and mark each one with a number corresponding to the midnight hour. Have each person in numerical order raise a glass and make a toast to the New Year. Also, you can have each person call out their number as the seconds tick down to midnight.
Food for the New Years party can be difficult for the host. I personally prefer to have a potluck at my house. This gives everyone a chance to bring their favorite dish and feel like they have participated in your New Years celebration. Make it fun by creating a theme for the potluck. Have them bring a dish they discovered during the previous year, or something from their heritage such as a Mexican, Irish or Indian dish.
Now, I have never tried this before but I may this year. An old New Years tradition is to have black-eyed peas the day after the New Years Eve celebration. Not only is it good for the digestion after having too much champagne, but it is considered good luck to those who enjoy it on New Years day.