By TMoM Team Member Suzy Fielders
New Year’s Eve with teenagers doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. Teenagers are at that age where they want independence; however, most parents don’t want their teens out at midnight on a night notorious for accidents on the road due to numerous drunk drivers out and about. So, you might be stressing on how to make this a fun but safe night for them.
New Year’s Eve with Teens – Ways to Make it a Memorable Night
In 2020, when we were in the middle of the pandemic still on December 31 and trying to figure out what to do as options were more limited for New Year’s Eve celebrations. My oldest daughter was 14 at the time so we told her to invite her best friend over and we’d make a fun night of it with us all celebrating. We had so much fun we repeated it the next year and plan to again this year! Here are some of the things we did to make it a memorable night!
Appetizers for the Win
Like any other holiday, good food is a must! My daughter loves appetizers so we just made a bunch as our dinner and for snacks throughout the night. Below are some of our favorite appetizers and recipes for those.
- Crockpot Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Pizza Dip
- Put 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese at the bottom of a square pan.
- Add pizza sauce on top of the cream cheese then shredded cheese on top of that. If your family loves pepperonis like ours then add some mini pepperonis on top of the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Enjoy with Fritos!
- Charcuterie Boards – you can always make your own very simple one with meats, cheeses, olives, fruit, etc.
- Homemade Guacamole & Tortilla Chips
- Potato Skins – We usually just buy the frozen T.G.I.F’s ones. Be sure to top them with sour cream!
Fun Activities Everyone Will Love
In addition to amazing food, you’ll also need some fun things to do. We usually let the teens enjoy some time in my daughter’s room for most of the later part of the evening, until we all watch the ball drop together. But, earlier in the evening we try to do some fun things with everyone all together. Here are some things we have enjoyed so far in our NYE celebrations.
- Resolution Hats – these are fun to see what everyone writes. We’ve found the teens are quite creative and hilarious with some of their resolutions.
- Selfie Photo Props – what teen – or adult haha – doesn’t love fun selfies with props?
- Sparkling Cider Toasts – don’t let the not being able to drink champagne discourage your teens from toasting. Buy them some sparkling cider and plastic champagne flutes to enjoy toasting as well.
- Involve the Pets – if your pets are part of your family, then you need to get them involved with the festivities too. We had fun making our cats their own resolution hats and the girls give them kisses at midnight!
- Dress to Impress – The first year we all dressed up in ‘fancy outfits’ just for fun.
Hopefully these ideas inspire you and your teens to enjoy New Year’s Eve together!
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