Family Friendly New Years!

New Years Eve is right around the corner and we’re helping you celebrate it with your family! Kids and adults included!
Our friends at Food Network shared some tips and recipes to help your kids ring in the New Year too! Check them out below!

1. A Milk-and-Cookies Toast
Ring in the new year with a family-friendly milk-and-cookies toast. Prepare the glasses in advance by dipping the rims of cocktail or champagne glasses in melted chocolate, then covering with colorful sprinkles. Set up a fun decorating station to make fortune cookies (which can be ordered online) more festive. Simply dip cookies in melted chocolate, then decorate with assorted sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. At midnight (or whenever you decide “midnight” is), serve the milk and the fortune cookies. Toast to the new year and read your fortune!
Here’s a fortune cookie recipe if you would like!

2. Confetti Balloon Countdown
Assuming those little ones might not make it to midnight, a confetti balloon countdown is a great way to celebrate the new year without keeping them up too late! Use a large craft hole punch to make plenty of confetti out of colorful tissue paper or gift wrap. Have everyone write New Year’s resolutions on small pieces of paper to include. Then, use a plastic bottle with the bottom half cut off as a “funnel” to slip all the confetti paper into the deflated balloons. Blow up the balloons (one for each hour) and hang them high on a wall. Celebrate by counting down and popping one every hour until midnight (or bedtime).

3. Sparkler Cupcakes
Make any New Year’s dessert extra special with the addition of sparkler candles. Cupcakes work especially well, as everyone can have their own personal dessert, with no utensils necessary! Just bake in advance and then light the sparklers when it’s time to welcome the sweet new year.
Here’s your choice of cupcake recipe!
Coconut cupcakes
Vanilla cupcakes
Peppermint Hot Chocolate cupcakes

4. Hot Chocolate Bar
A custom hot chocolate bar is the best way to keep warm on a chilly New Year’s Eve. Everyone loves a cup of hot cocoa, but topping it with extra goodies makes it even more special. First, create a large batch of hot cocoa and keep it warm on the stove top or in a thermos. Assemble a station with mugs, spoons and small dishes of assorted toppings. Marshmallows, nuts, candy canes, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, cinnamon sticks, fruit and – of course – whipped cream all make for great toppings.
Here’s a recipe for some classic hot chocolate!

5. Pizza-Making Station
Celebrating New Year’s at home is always fun, but keeping the kids entertained and engaged until that ball drops can feel overwhelming. Here, pizzas serve double duty as a meal and a fun activity. The trick is to keep it simple and let everyone make their own personal pizza. Purchase pizza dough from a local pizzeria (or make your own) in advance, and set up a pizza-making station in your kitchen. Put out different sauces, cheeses and plenty of toppings, and let everyone create individual pizza combinations.

6. Noisemakers
These DIY noisemakers are sure to bring the house down when the new year rolls in. They’re incredibly simple to make and a fun activity for the entire family. Just remove the labels from several plastic water bottles and create a decorating station where you can turn them into festive noisemakers. Fill them with beans, buttons, jingle bells, ribbon and confetti! Then screw on the cap and decorate with glue, cut tissue paper, washi tape and ribbon — the possibilities are endless. Make some noise for the new year!

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly