Ideas for families celebrating New Year's Eve at home

Here are some ideas for families or couples staying in for New Year's Eve.

Posted 1:29 p.m. Dec 31, 2021 — Updated 1:29 p.m. Dec 31, 2021

Jessica Patrick

, WRAL Sr. multiplatform producer

With coronavirus cases rising again and the omicron variant a concern this holiday season, going out is not on my radar -- especially now that I have a baby!

Here are some ideas for families or couples staying in for New Year's Eve. Most of these can be adapted to fit any age group, whether the group includes kids, teenagers, adults or a combination.

Have a special dinner

Make a special meal of hors d'oeuvres, dessert and wine or sparking cider. Frozen appetizers are an easy option, but here are some quick homemade ideas:

Charcuterie tray: These aren't just for adults. Have fun filling a platter with two or three different kinds of cheeses, meats (try pepperoni, deli ham or turkey) and fresh or dried fruit. Opt for a few sweet dried fruits, like pineapple or mango, but limit the sugar by offering fresh fruits like strawberries. I also love how seedless grapes look on a platter. You can also incorporate some vegetables and dips, like cucumber slices with ranch dressing or celery sticks with peanut butter.

Make-your-own-pizza: Mini bagels, mini tortillas or even zucchini slices are a great base for bite-size personal pizzas. Load them on a sheet pan, have everyone add their own sauce and toppings, and bake at 400 degrees until the cheese melts.

Dessert apple nachos: This recipe from Jamei McGee, a WRAL contributor and mother of three girls, is just as fun as an ice cream sundae bar but features tasty, tart apples instead.

Dress up

You don't have to go out to get dressed up. Let the kids raid the closet or jewelry box and set up a selfie station with hats, glasses, scarves and other "dress up" items then take turns taking photos. Don't forget to use a selfie stick or phone timer to get everyone in at least one photo. The sillier, the better.

Have a pajama party

If comfort is more your style, have a pajama party instead. If the kids want to try to stay up until midnight, set up sleeping bags in the living room.

Bring out the board games

While you're waiting for midnight, stay awake with some family board games or card games.

Midnight toast

Everyone loves sparkling cider or grape juice as an alternative to champagne. For a special New Year's Eve mocktail, add pomegranate juice and arils to cider or, for less sugar, to soda water.

Watch the ball drop

Watch the country's largest celebration from your couch. A commercial-free livestream from Times Square will be available beginning at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube and at TimesSquareNYC.org.

Beginning at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, Miley Cyrus will host a New Year's Eve countdown with performances by Brandi Carlile, Billie Joe Armstrong, Saweetie and more.

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