New Year’s Eve will also have a different vibe this year but there are still many fun options to kick 2020 to the curb. Here’s our top 10:
Create a New Year’s resolution jar
Have each family member write down a few New Year’s goals (eating healthier, getting better grades, improving that jump shot) and toss them into a mason jar or bowl. When the clock strikes midnight, read each of the resolutions out loud.
NYE scavenger hunt
Compile a list of a dozen or more hard to find household items and break up into teams. Whoever finds and gathers all of the booty wins a prize.
Create a time capsule.
It’s not exactly a year we want to remember but it might be worth documenting 2020 for the grandkids. Pull together your favorite memories of the quarantine in the form of photos, recipes and other keepsakes. Throw in a few masks and a roll of toilet paper if you can spare.
Order takeout
Forget the cocktail wieners and serve something everyone will enjoy. Use this night to create a takeout sampler, ordering burgers and fries from five different fast food joints or a grab a few different specialty pies from a couple of different pizzerias. Have each of your family members vote on their favorite – maybe you’ll find a new hotspot to add to the weekday rotation.
Host a family slumber party
Drag all of your pillows and blankets into the living room and crash for the night. The kids will always remember the time mom and dad ate popcorn and slept on the floor.
Host your own ball drop.
For the first time in 114 years, crowds will not be allowed to gather to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Instead, the annual tradition will be virtual. Event organizers haven’t offered much more detail, only that a small group of celebrities and performers will be in attendance. So why not host your own ball drop? Hoist a piñata and attack it at midnight or suspend a bunch of balloons overhead and then release. How’s that for the new normal?
Set up an NYE Zoom
Since gatherings of more than 10 people are currently discouraged, a celebratory group computer conference might be the solution. If midnight is too late for such a celebration, schedule one with the grandparents for 8 p.m. Perform your own private countdown with lots of horns and noisemakers and break out the confetti if you dare.
Make a bubbly mocktail
Memories are built on the details. In addition to filling your table with delicious goodies, craft a signature mocktail for the kids. It can be as simple as a Shirley Temple (lemon lime soda, maraschino cherries and a splash of grenadine syrup), just make sure you pour it in a fancy glass.
Build a dessert bar
Fill it with ice cream, hot cocoa, or lots of little pastries to sample – it doesn’t have to be fancy, buy up all of the Hostess cupcakes and Devil Dogs you can find. Even on NYE comfort food is king.
Dress it up
After spending almost a full year in yoga pants, it’s time to break out the fancy clothes – if they still fit. If not, dress up the yoga pants with lots of jewelry and a full face of makeup. Best foot forward as we enter 2021!
