Our family’s tradition for New Years Eve is simple and frugal. We rarely stay up to ring in the New Year since we have four kids and are exhausted parents.

We try to make New Year’s Eve special for the kids.

We like to stay in together as a family and discuss the years past – with all of God’s blessings, and the new year to come – all the exciting things God has planned for us.

It’s a fun day to do crafts together and reminisce and plan.

Food

We have fun making “snackies” – as the kids call tapas or appetizers that we lay out on TV trays for all to share.

Some of our go-to NYE party foods:

pigs in blankets
BBQ mini meatballs
cheese and salami platter
mini pizzas or tortilla pizzas
spinach artichoke dip
veggie and fruit trays
sweet and spicy chicken nuggets
chicken wings
sushi or smoked salmon
a variety of crackers and chips

Having a variety means everyone is happy with picking and choosing and sometimes finding a new favorite!

Mocktails

We make a yummy frothy punch out of pineapple juice, ginger ale, and sherbet. The kids like to have fizzy grape juice. We also make our own sweet and sour mix and add that to lemon lime soda or ginger ale with fruit for a fun sangria. Pretty glasses are a must-have to make this special.

Memories

We discuss our favorite memories from the last year. I have these fun memories cards that help prompt the kids as we remember. We also discuss our goals for the next year as a family and homeschool. The kids love this and it offers me insight into what’s important to them.

Movie

We always watch a Muppet movie. I never realized it had become a tradition until my eldest daughter reminded me we had to make sure we had the new Muppets Most Wanted movie for NYE.

We don’t venture out because the fireworks are scary, loud, and dangerous. They’re illegal in Germany except for a few days a year and everyone thinks they’re a pro and it can get a little rowdy. It’s safer indoors.