by Susan Lower

Created on: January 01, 2009

New Years Eve is a great time to spend with your family. Whether you start the New Year out creating new traditions or acknowledging the old, bringing in the New Year can be lots of fun and here are just few ideas how to get your own family party started:

No family party can get officially started without a little bit of food. Change up your meal plan for the evening. Instead of having the normal family dinner, create a smrgsbord of your favorite family dishes. Be sure to include plenty of finger foods and snacks for munching during game play or movie time, and keep the beverages handy. Save the bottle of sparkling cider for midnight.

Grab your favorite board games, card games, or movies for a little entertainment. You may even consider if you own an interactive gaming system, such as the Nintendo Wii, to indulge the night away doing activities the entire family can enjoy.

Don't be afraid to split up into different areas of the house for larger families, not everyone might enjoy doing the same things. Have a place for watching movies, playing board games, and hanging out. This will create an outlet for other members of the family when feeling overcrowded or bored.

Make it a point to do at least one thing each person likes during the night. It's a good idea to have each family member pick a game or movie before the evening starts. You can choose what you do by pulling ideas from a hat or going in a predetermined order.

Remember, New Years Eve is the one night children are permitted to stay up late. Although, we all know they will usually fall asleep on their own (especially the young ones) before midnight.

Take a few moments, before little eyes began to droop, to create a "Year in the Family" journal. It's as easy as creating a scrapbook page or taking a blank journal for everyone to record their favorite moment of the pass year, and to make a prediction about the new. Have small children draw a picture if they can't yet write. Then save the journal and use it again year after year. You can take family pictures to include on your pages. Most of all it creates a great family tradition!

As the New Year approaches, make plenty of noise and have plenty of noise makers on hand. Turn up the music loud, watch the ball drop from Time Square, but most of all, don't let the passing of the old year go out in silence or the beginning of the new one slide by unnoticed.

When the fun has dwindled and lips begin to yawn, have a sleep over to end the night. Grab pillows, blankets, and choose a place like the family room or living room and have everyone snuggle up after the party is over. Turn the lights off, go to sleep, and when you wake up you can greet your family by wishing them a Happy New Year!

Next year, invite the whole family, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, and parents to join you. Before you know it, they'll all will be knocking on your door New Year 's Eve to join in on the party.

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