1. Fun and silly hats, tiaras, and leis for everyone. Be sure to have extras on hand too.
2. Noisemakers, clappers, horns, confetti and streamers.
3. Balloons! A balloon drop is the ultimate.
4. Favors. Make the occasion memorable.
5. Glow items: glow necklaces, bracelets, glow cups or bubbles.
6. Time capsule. To hold special memories of the year.
7. Disposable cameras, film, batteries, and/or video tape.

New Year's Eve Ideas for Families:

Make this New Years Eve a party that your entire family will remember. You can stay at home on New Years and still have a fantastic time!

Decorate your home as if you were expecting company, and treat your family to some favors so they will remember this special night forever. If you have young children who will have a hard time staying awake until midnight, give them a light meal at about 4:30, and have them take a nap at around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. They will appreciate it. You can then serve your meal at 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.—and then begin the countdown!

Break out the good china, dress for dinner, and prepare a fancy meal and celebrate what is most important - our family.

Throw a theme party. Mail surprise invitations to everyone in the family and let them know that you'll be dressing up for the big evening. Get them involved in the planning or in choosing the theme. Some great family themes are: Tropical Luau, Beach Bash, Silver and Gold Fancy Dress Party, 21st Century Futuristic Party, Retro Party, 50's theme, or Wild, Wild West.

Hold a family favorites night. Divide the time equally among the number of family members you have from the start of your party until 11:45 p.m. You may end up with anywhere from 45 minutes to 1-½ hours per person. Start with the youngest family member, and celebrate his/her favorites. Food, games, television show, movie, movie character, invention, toys, color, clothing, etc. Have the entire family help gather as many favorites as they can think of for the special person, and take several pictures of each person during their shining moment. During the special time for each person, play the game, eat one course of their favorite food, get them dressed in their favorite outfit or costume, and make that person feel special. By the end of the evening, you will have eaten an entire meal. At 11:45, end that portion of the evening, pull out the party hats, and ring in the New Year with stemware filled with ginger ale or sparkling white grape juice. Use your photos from this special night to decorate a scrapbook or place in a time capsule.

Hold a family game night! Play every board game you own…Trivial Pursuit Candy Land, Yahtzee, Monopoly, Life, Clue, Checkers, Trouble, Operation, Shutes and Ladders, Jenga, and Twister to name a few. Move on to bobbing for apples, relays, telephone, sack races, tic-tac-toe, hangman, a scavenger hunt, Pin the 12 on the clock, flashlight tag, spoon and egg race, etc. Then, with a rented Karaoke machine, sing your hearts out. Throughout the evening, munch on a buffet of wonderful junk food and bite-sized munchies.

Plan a "Spotlight" party for your family. This one would have to be a surprise, and will involve a considerable amount of work performed in secret, but will be well worth the effort. Gather old family videos, photo albums, school pictures, report cards, artwork, trophies, etc., and take the time to "chronicle" the life of each person in your family. The only thing that you may want to share with family members is that they will need to be prepared to share a talent. Decorate a special chair for the guest of honor. Start with the youngest, and work your way up…ending with yourself. Share parts of your own childhood with your children, and let them know that as a teen you also felt awkward, tell them about your first crush, favorite toys, etc., then share your dreams with them. After your presentation, ask the "spotlighted" person to perform his/her talent. (Remember that this doesn't have to be a "traditional" talent. If Rachel can cross one eye, or scratch her ears with her toes-that works!) Lots of clapping, cheering and praise should follow! Write a special letter to be read aloud to each family member at the end of each presentation, letting them know just how treasured they are to your family, and what you believe are their strengths, talents and contributions to your family's life. Why choose this theme? More and more studies show that low self-esteem is a leading cause of problems among children and adults. Start the New Millennium off with a huge boost of confidence building for your family. After all the presentations, agree on five family goals for the coming year…make them purposeful, but most of all fun! Then get ready for a balloon popping, noisemaking, ginger ale toasting, and horn blowing welcome to the 21st century!

Spread blankets and pillows out in front of the fireplace, or the television, and have that serve as the family party location for the evening. Rent favorite movies appropriate for the whole family. Here are some great choices to please most ages, and make the grownups nostalgic for the good old days: The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Brigadoon or The Wizard of Oz. Musicals are perfect, because singing along is always great fun! For dinner—a gourmet or smorgasbord picnic on the blankets. One fun dinner idea would be to pick up each person's favorite take-out food, and eat it picnic style in the living room. The pursuit of all the different items is great fun, but you'll need to check on closing times, because some restaurants close early on New Year's Eve. Gather the food at 6:00 p.m., then don't eat it till you are ready. About the only takeout item that won't warm up well is fast food French fries! If little ones fall asleep on the blanket, that's okay…just snuggle everyone close, and make sure you wake them for the countdown to midnight. Hang a balloon bag above your party blanket, and at the stroke of twelve, release the balloons and celebrate with style!

Treat your family to a special night and make them feel more important than anyone else…take the time to count your blessings and treasure your family!

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Family New Year's Eve Activities:

Family activities for New Years Eve!

Sweet Fortune - Everyone is crazy for chocolate. A fun version of fortune-telling this game involves a big bowl of M&M's! Guests grab a small handful of M&M's from the bowl and interpret their fortune according to the list below. The more of each color, the greater the influence will be in your life. The great part of this game is if you don't like your fortune, eat it up and try your luck again!

Red: Love
Orange: Popularity and Power
Yellow: Geekiness
Green: Wishes - For each green one, you can make a wish that will come true!
Blue: Wealth
Brown: Health

Dance Through the Decades - Everyone loves to boogie, so strip away any inhibitions and have a dance contest! Gather music from different decades (1920's through 1990's are all easy choices) and at the stroke of every hour start a different period of music. For a fun twist, see if the kids can guess what era each music and dance is from!

Picture Taking Frenzy - Kids can entertain themselves for a long time with disposable cameras! Have the kids take pictures of themselves posing as different famous people or events that hit the headlines throughout the past year. Also, they could pose as what they would like to be in the future or something in their dreams. Their creativity will shine through!

Blessing Countdown - Ask your guests to count their blessing from the past year and to read their family New Year's resolutions. Once the clock strikes midnight, of course, all craziness cuts loose! Be sure to provide your guests will tons of noisemakers and party accents! S

Bubbles are a fun thing to give to the kids to let them celebrate in their own way! Personalize each bottle with your own special wording!

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New Year's Eve Family table and Food Ideas:

When it comes to your New Year's Eve table, just about anything fun and a little crazy is a perfect choice!

The first suggestion is to cover your tables with a dark Gossamer and then embellish your table with glow products.

Glow Star Confetti scattered on black gossamer is stunning! Of course, add some Glow Giant Confetti as well. If you are using this "glowing" theme for your table, you will want to serve beverages in Glow Stadium Cups poured by the Glow Pitcher.

Or cover your tables with a bright red or blue table covering. Then, you could do a couple of different things for your centerpiece: Place a large bowl in the center of your table. In the bowl, pile high several brightly colored favors - such as masks, hats, noisemakers, leis, and more! Add some Metallic Shred to the bowl and around the base.

Add a big mirror ball to your table as a fun and festive centerpiece!. Nothing says Happy New Year's like a big silver ball!

Gel candles make for a perfect New Year's Eve table centerpiece.

Twist some silver garland down the center of the table, and twist it up and around the stem of your favorite fluted glasses.

Food is important at a New Year's Eve party, and the most important aspect is to make sure it is fun and easy to eat! Be sure to have lots of snacks located around your home in convenient locations! A buffet table usually works best, here are some ideas:

Potato Bar
Taco/Mexican Bar
Make your own Pizzas
Food From the Far East
Pasta, Pasta, and more Pasta
Chicken Wings and Fries

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