On my first New Year’s Eve as a parent, we had a 4 month- old baby with a crummy sleep schedule. That year we crawled into bed sheepishly at 10pm. I saw 11:59 but only as wake up #2. Not quite the same as New Year’s Eve from our pre-parent lives.
Why New Year’s Eve is annoying as a parent:
1. Midnight is way too late for cranky “old” parents.
2. The idea of being in a sweaty room full of strangers to toast the New Year feels odd especially when I just want to be home to kiss my baby’s head as she sleeps.
3. Need a designated driver. Please. Can’t we just drink bubbly at home?
4. Who can get a babysitter on Dec 31st anyways? All the trustworthy teenagers already have plans themselves!
What’s more fun to me is to incorporate our kids in the celebration along with great friends and host a bright brunch family playdate, along with mimosas, to toast the coming year. Everyone wins – adults have adult time, kids are included and everyone loves to blow those honking blow thingies at each other and wear silly hats.
How to Throw a Happy Noon Year Party
Our momstown chapters are getting to be pros at this, holding an early January event or some even on Dec 31st.
.jpg)
Think Loud: Horns, drums, even wooden spoons banging on pots & pans.
The Countdown: Count down to 12 noon and make a big deal as the clock ticks to noon. Make loads of noise when you hit 12!
Sparkly Crafts: Imagine fireworks paintings and sparkly hats kids decorate themselves!
Then enter in kids who don’t care too much about the New Year, but they love a party! Preschoolers are all about that calendar though – so use that to your advantage as you ring in a new month and a new year!
Resolutions: Resolve to ring in the New Year in a new way – that’s enough of a resolution and you fulfilled it on Jan 1st – good on you!
New Year’s resolutions are beyond me now. Good for goal setting but really, the flip of the calendar no longer motivates me. I’m an adult and I figure I can make changes whenever the time is right. However, it’s entertaining to hear what your kids come up with for their ‘resolutions’ – they may be insightful or just plain funny – but great to keep track of from year to year!
Our main momstown mama (who’s not a New Year’s Eve fan in the first place) wrote this post with help from momstown Burlington and momstown Guelph.
Printer-friendly version