Starting the New Year with a bang.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Doug Grinbergs.

New Year’s Eve can be exciting: anticipating the year ahead, looking forward to change and of course counting down ‘till midnight. After all the hype of New Year’s Eve is done, how will you spend the next day? Although “sleeping in” may be at the top of the agenda, why not continue the fun with simple family activities?

Familyfun.com listed many ways families can start their new year. Some of the ideas included:

• Forecast the future - One family interviewed looked into their figurative crystal ball to make predictions about the upcoming year. They decorated a cardboard box with photos and stickers. Each family member then came up with one question for the others to answer. Questions could include: How many A's will Justin get? Who will change the most this year and how?

• Family event charades - Think of memorable events from the past year. Each family member should think of a different event and act it out. WARNING: This activity could cause uncontrollable laughter.

• Spend New Year’s Day doing something new - Style your hair differently, try a new food, take a drive down a street you’ve never been on before, or buy a new book.

• Inquiring Minds - Create a list of questions or statements silly or serious and answer them. Questions that one mom used were:
I am lucky because…
I am a little afraid of…
If I had three wishes they would be…
Store the answered questions in a box until the next year. It will be fun to look back and see how you have changed.

• Flashlight Limbo - You will need two flashlights, a clear space to move around and a fairly dark room. The object of this activity is to avoid the beam of the flashlight. Two people holding a flashlight stand a few feet apart. They point the light at each other (not in the eyes!) to create a beam of light for the others to limbo under. I can hear the music now…”Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack went under the limbo stick, dat dat da, da, da, da, da, dat dat, da, da, da, da, da!”

What are your ideas for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day? Chime in before the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31.

Angela Verges is a writer and mother of two. She can be reached at awritersdream41@yahoo.com.