In our prekids life, New Year’s Eve was filled with overflowing glasses of champagne and staying up until the wee hours of the morning. It may also have included kissing a stranger at midnight. But things have changed. Many of us parents, present company included, can’t stay up past 10 p.m., can no longer handle bubbly (it gives us a headache), and that whole kissing a stranger thing, yeah, that ain’t gonna happen. Instead, we spend our New Year’s Eve in a totally different, albeit awesome, way –with the kids.
If the old ways of celebrating NYE are a thing of the past, maybe looking for inspiration from the movies, current movies that is, may be JUST the thing. Most of these films are in the theaters now, so you can go to an afternoon matinee to get you in the mood. Then check out these tips for New Year’s Eve family fun.
Night at the Museum
(In theaters now)
The Dress Code:
Be inspired by history and ask each guest dress up as a historical figure. Make it easy and use a variety of hats (from a party store or online) to create different periods of history. A girl could braid her hair ala Sacajawea or get a piece of fake fur and make a hat like Attila the Hun’s. There are so many rich characters (and eras) in the film to choose from.
The Menu:
Pick foods with a historical significance or a nod to the characters in the film. It’s an eclectic cast, so your menu should be too. You could do Old West chili in honor of Owen Wilson’s character, Jedediah, or a turkey leg in honor of the hearty foods from Sir Lancelot’s era. And for dessert, you have to serve Napoleon ice cream.
Games:
Play the classic party game of Celebrity, but instead of rock, pop or movie stars, choose names of historical figures. The game is quite simple, just put the names on Post-it notes (such as King Tut, Einstein, George Washington – don’t make them too hard). Then, stick them on each person's forehead so that others can see the name, but the wearer can't. Then throughout the evening, each guest will have to ask other guests for clues to whom they are such as, “Was I an inventor,” “Was I an artist,” “Did I live in ancient time?” This can be a great game for kids who are now just learning about world history.
Annie
(In theaters now)
The Dress Code:
Annie is all about style – funky, trendy, urban and cool. Have the girls wear street-style-inspired outfits including items like cute floral-print tops, a pair of jeans with doodles on them, a pair of hightop sneakers and lay on the accessories. Of course, dad will have to wear a sharp suit just like Will Stacks (Daddy Warbucks).
The Menu:
Since Annie is a very New York movie, then you have to have a very New York menu. Keep it simple with hot dogs (from Nathan’s), thin-crust cheese pizza and, of course, New York style cheesecake for dessert.
Games:
Annie and her pals can totally cut a rug, so to raise the roof on your Annie-themed dinner, have a dance off. You can also download the soundtrack and have a sing-a-long -- almost everyone knows the lyrics to "It's the Hard Knock Life" and “Tomorrow.”
Penguins of Madagascar
(In theaters now)
The Dress Code:
This one is easy, everyone should be instructed to don black and white or perhaps white and black. However you cut it, black and white should be the dress code.
The Menu:
If your family and friends enjoy fish, then that would be a perfect main course, because real penguins live off of creatures from the sea. As a side, you’ll have to offer up fistfuls of Cheese Nibbles (in your case you can probably offer up any kind of puffed-cheese snack). For dessert, black-and-white cookies are a delicious way to end the evening.
Games:
Have a waddle race! Take simple ties and tie everyone’s ankles together, then have your guests line up and have them waddle, not unlike a penguin, to the finish line. Since these penguins from Madagascar happen to be spies, you can have a scavenger hunt. Hide something in a unique place and give everyone clues, see who finds it first or have everyone work together to find the prize.
(In theaters now)
The Dress Code:
A baker, a prince, a wolf… those are just a few of the options for an Into the Woods-themed outfit. While the costumes in the film are eloquently old school, it would be relatively easy to reference them in one’s attire– a wolfy-wooly scarf here, a red-hooded cape there, and perhaps someone has really, really, long blonde hair à la Rapunzel, that would do the trick.
The Menu:
Since the protagonists of the film are the Baker and his Wife, it’s safe to say that the menu would be quite carb heavy with breads, biscuits, scones and cookies. You may also throw in some beans (the nonmagical variety that is).
Games:
Try to go the entire evening, or as much as you can, with only singing. Simple requests like, “could you pass the salt,” or “do you know what time it is,” should be delivered with a sing-song tone. Another game that would good for children is to blindfold them, spin them around, and have them try to get out of the “woods” or a given area such as a living room or dining room in the shortest time possible. As we learned from the movie, strange things happen in those woods!
Paddington
(In theaters January 16)
The Dress Code:
If your family happens to own blue coats and red hats, then by all means, wear them. Otherwise anything brown and/or furry will be a good substitute.
The Menu:
Marmalade sandwiches. Marmalade, which happens to have all the nutrients a bear needs, is pretty much Paddington’s favorite thing ever. For dessert, a nice cake and a spot of tea would be a fitting ending for your meal.
Games:
Talk bear. This is similar to charades, but as you act out your clues, also speak “bear” which is a loud howling language which Paddington speaks along with very proper English. Add in a crafty activity, have everyone make their own tags like Paddington’s (his reads “'Please look after this bear. Thank you.'” Provide each guest with a large package tag and they can create their own name and directive such as: “Penelope – Please make sure to give her extra dessert.”
Sunny Chanel is a regular contributor to Fandango Family, Babble.com, Mom.me, Cafe Mom and Mommy Nearest. When she isn't writing, watching movies, or doing crafts, she is playing dress up with her eight-year-old daughter.
