Ringing in the New Year with the Fam
It’s like this chance to honor all the goofy traditions from years past while making fresh new core memories that’ll stick with you for lifetimes to come.
When you really think about it, we’ve all got our own little customs and routines that have become totally baked into how we ring in those fresh 365 days with hope and revelry as a fam. Certain activities are so quintessentially “new year’s” that they’re basically non-negotiable at this point.
Let’s go over some of these classic new year’s traditions that people look forward to year after year after year:
The Iconic Ball Drop
In NYC, the famous ball drop in Times Square has hands down become the most iconic symbol of new year’s eve on this planet. Millions tune in religiously to watch that dazzling, newly renovated ball slowly descend as the final seconds tick down, surrounded by live musical acts, celeb guests, and an insane fireworks show the second it hits bottom. There’s just something so wildly electric about gathering around with your fam to experience that huge shared moment together and feel connected to the whole damn world.
Clinking Glasses for Toasts
Let’s be real – no proper new year’s celebration is complete without at least a few rounds of toasts, am I right? Whether you’re sipping some fancy champers, poppin’ bottles of sparkling cider for the kiddos, or throwing back whatever your drink of choice may be, there’s something meaningful as heck about going around the room and letting each person raise their glass. It’s your chance to reflect on the total sh*tshow that was the past year and share all your hopes and dreams for the next. Those heartfelt words always low-key remind you of the deep stuff that matters most at the end of the day.
Chowing Down on Lucky Munchies
So many cultures around the world have these traditional lucky foods that are legit supposed to manifest wealth, prosperity, and all that good stuff if you make sure to eat ’em around the midnight mark. I’m talkin’ black-eyed peas, greens, pork, rice, you name it – basically anything that kinda resembles coins, cash money, progress, the whole nine yards. But preparing these auspicious af dishes together as a family is such a weirdly fun group activity. Not to mention a delicious way to taste that incoming year with your fingers crossed for lasting fortune!
Making Those Resolutions (And Breaking Them, Likely)
Of course, one of the most classic new year’s rituals has gotta be making resolutions. Setting those big Dick’s Sporting Goods-sized goals or small QVC-sized intentions for self-improvement gives you that solid shot of hope and motivation to really start the year off proper. Family members can go around the room sharing their resolutions out loud, write that stuff down anonymously to open later, or create full-on vision board masterpieces to help manifest all the things they wanna achieve. Hey, any excuse for an artsy family craft sesh, am I right?
Game Night Goes Hard
Look, anytime you can hit a good ol’ family game night is a win, but new year’s eve? *Chef’s kiss* Board games, trivia, charades, you name it – the possibilities for ultra-competitive fun are endless! The best part is you can have a field day incorporating those resolutions into the games for some built-in accountability. Like, loser has to go to the gym three times this week or something. Get creative with those friendly threats!
Storytime With the Besties
As the year winds down, reminiscing on all the wild sh*t that went down over the past 12 months is practically a given at this point. So why not spend some quality time with the loved ones who lived through all that craziness with you, telling fave stories and recounting all the legendary moments? Not only does it keep those meaningful core memories alive, but giving each other a lil’ recap on just how far you’ve come together as a unit has a way of making you appreciate your unbreakable family bond on, like, a cellular level. And those tales? They’ll only get more batsh*t insane and iconic with each year that passes, trust.
Clean Slates and Fresh Starts
While laughing over the past can be peak nostalgia, new year’s eve is just as much about looking ahead and embracing all those fresh starts and transitions through silly lil’ symbolic rituals of rebirth and renewal. That could mean doing a deep, deep clean of your space to obliterate all those bad vibes and mustiness. Or you could go all-out with rearranging the furniture to switch up the stagnant energy. Maybe even do one of those cheesy burning ceremonies to get rid of anything you wanna leave behind in the past year – old journals, resentment letters, the works. Whatever vibe you’re going for, the whole point is to clear out all the gunk so you can create space for new experiences and manifest those new beginnings without being weighed down by old baggage.
But listen, new year’s eve is honestly just the start of the real rager for a lot of fams across the globe! The party tends to keep raging well into New Year’s Day itself with all sorts of wild food, fun, and festivities designed for packing that fresh year with so much luck and blessings, you’re basically begging to be blessed up.
One of the most iconic New Year’s Day events has gotta be the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Dating back over 100 freakin’ years at this point, this wild floral pageant sees these elaborately decorated floats covered in thousands upon thousands of individual plants and flowers cruise down the streets while marching bands, equestrian performers, and all the extra af extras liven up the scene. It’s such a vibrant, straight-up joyful way to hit the ground running on January 1st that tons of families make it a yearly tradition to wake up mad early and either watch it unfold live or tune in on the tv from the comfort of their pjs.
Of course, once the parade wraps up, it’s go-time for all the big boy college football bowl games to kick off – with the Rose Bowl being one of the real showstoppers. If your fam’s into sports even a lil’ bit, cheering on a favorite team together fresh off the new year’s high is such an awesome way to immediately stir up that camaraderie, that pride, those healthy lil’ rivalries right off the bat. You know aunties are gonna be talkin’ that ish for weeks.
For the bold, possibly certifiably insane souls out there, a new year’s dip into a straight-up frozen body of water may just be the perfect wake-up call after all the inevitable overindulgences from the night before. I’m talking full-on polar bear plunges, baby! These chilly af events see crowds of swimsuit-wearing wildies run screaming into freezing cold lakes, oceans, you name it, for a bracing one-two punch to the soul that’s just built different, you know? While it’s probably not the most kid-friendly move out there, thrill-seeking families with older kids who live life on the edge might at least get a kick out of watching the pandemonium unfold from a safe, sane distance.
In some Euro cultural traditions, there’s this whole thing about the first person to enter your home right after midnight on January 1st being the one to bring all the blessings of prosperity and serious good juju for the household that year. This “first footer” usually rolls up with symbolic objects in tow like hunks of coal, salt shakers, loaves of bread, and the works, then crosses the threshold rrrright foot first to really seal in those auspicious vibes. Sure, the superstition is a little dated and zany by today’s standards, but some families still keep that quaint lil’ tradition alive by acting out an official first footing ceremony once the ball drops.
But real talk? Most new year’s celebrations these days are really just about scoring as much solid quality time with the whole fam as humanly possible between sundown and the next sunrise. Except…keeping every last person engaged and enthused throughout that entire stretch is honestly a serious feat of endurance!
That’s why it’s always smart to go in with a game plan for switching up the activities when energy starts to inevitably dip. Ya know, mixing in some fresh vibes here and there so fatigue and boredom don’t even have a chance at ruining the good times. Some certified banger options:
For those pre-midnight hours, you could:
• Host a legit game night tourney with prizes and everything on the line
• Throw on a movie marathon
