One thing Persians love more than anything is a great big party. My Persian family was no different. We loved to entertain friends and family — dancing, singing, telling jokes. I even had an uncle who traveled with a small amp and a microphone. No joke. No holiday provided a better opportunity for a big celebration than New Years Eve. My lifetime of NYE celebrations had the following trajectory.
PHASE ONE: No Bed Time! As a kid, my number one reason for looking forward to NYE was that all bed times were off. Each year I made it my goal to stay up as late as possible. Certainly later than any other kids at the party. I think my record was 5:00 am when I was 10. Here I am 25 years later really wishing I could get those 5 hours of sleep back.
PHASE TWO: The College Years. Same goal, different crowd. The celebration changed form as I was finally old enough to enjoy a fancy cocktail with throngs of strangers donning gold, sparkly tiaras and share a midnight kiss in a shower of confetti. I am exhausted just thinking about it.
PHASE THREE: It’s Midnight Somewhere. NYE 2012 was our first as a family of three. We made it until about 9:00 pm before heading home from our friends’ house for a late night feeding and to call the cops at midnight because someone was shooting off fireworks. Hell hath no fury like a mom with a 7 week old on New Years Eve.
Over the years, we have found that sharing an intimate celebration with my best friend and her family, whose boys are best friends with my daughter, is the greatest way to ring in the new year. Here are our tried and true ingredients for a NYE celebration with kids:
- Jammies – Both fun and functional! Not only will they enjoy a special treat of having a pajama party, but you don’t have to worry about changing their clothes when you tuck their exhausted, half-asleep bodies into bed. Depending on your company, grown up jammies are encouraged, as well.
NYE 2015 – ready to crash by 10:00 pm - Cocktails – Not for the kids, of course. But why not come up with a cocktail for the grown ups and a mocktail for the kids so everyone can share a countdown toast at whatever hour you want to pretend is midnight.
- Tunes – Dancing was always a big part of my childhood NYE memories. Now I understand it’s because the parents were trying to wear us out! A good playlist and lots of booty shaking are key to our fun family NYE. Not coincidentally, this is also critical to making sure nobody makes it to midnight, and certainly not 5:00 am.
- Countdown – Last year we established what will certainly be a lasting family tradition (at least until our daughter is old enough to tell time). The Netflix fake ball drop. Midnight can come at any time you desire thanks to the geniuses at Netflix, to whom parents are indebted for many reasons (looking at you Puffin Rock and Story Bots).
There may come a time in my life when I will once again put on a little black dress and glittery shoes. I’ll go stand shoulder to shoulder with jovial strangers and share that New Year toast when the clock actually strikes midnight. But for this season of my life, nothing sounds better than a few close friends, a glass of bubbly, and a reasonable 11:00 pm bed time. Watching the ball drop in New York counts, right?
