It’s the first day of the year and you should start it right. What better way to do this but to celebrate it with the dearest people in your heart: your friends and family! Unlike New Year’s Eve parties, New Year’s Day parties are more family-friendly and usually takes place during the day. Different cultures also have different traditions that go along with this great day, and there are a lot of sports too, which even makes it even more special. Here are some tips and ideas:

New Year, New Day: New Year’s Day Invitations

Since most New Year’s Day parties are daytime parties, your invitations should be very simple. Clean lines, pastel colors and simple prints are great. Of course, you can always have the typical New Year design like fireworks, the Time’s Square Ball, or a typical New Year’s Day feast.

If you’re Chinese, there are red envelopes that are available leading up to this time of the year that are believed to bring good luck. Of course, the Chinese New Year doesn’t come until a month later, but it’s a nice change if you want to do something different.

Celebratory Decorations

A New Year’s Day party can be a typical sit-down breakfast or lunch party, but you can make things a little more exciting by having a theme, too. Luau parties, hat parties, movie parties are all par for the course when it comes to a New Year’s Day party. You just have to keep in mind that there will be most likely children attending your party, so make your theme and activities inclusive for both kids and adults.

Since New Year’s Day falls on the coldest season of the year for most countries, it’s probably the best if you have your party indoors. Make the best out of it by alternating cool colors with bright accents, such as white tablecloths, cream curtains with gold and silver lining or ribbons. Gold and silver balloons and streamers will also add to the festive and elegant look.

Add interesting centerpieces such as bottles of champagne or empty bottles of champagne with flowers in them. If you have bottles left from last night’s party, you can use them too. Just make sure you clean them thoroughly!

You have the option of using either paper plates and plastic utensils, or proper tableware for your guests. You can even make use of the plates and utensils you didn’t get use for last night’s New Year’s Eve party. Some people consider it good luck to prepare only the best on New Year’s Day, and you might want to be guided by this tradition. After all, your guests will be family and your dearest friends.

Activities for the New Year

The fact that the weather is so cold outside may seem like a problem for any nice game and activity. If you’re not too keen on having snowball fights or building snowmen, don’t worry, you have a lot of alternatives to choose from.

Indoor golf for fun games
• The Family That Cooks Together. Have quality time with your kids by having them participate in preparing the meal. You can give them simple tasks like cooking easy-to-prepare desserts or dishes. Your kids will certainly appreciate feeling like a useful member of the family.
• Indoor Golf.Miniature golf sets are available in a lot of toy stores and you can set rules to not break your precious vases in the course of the game. You can also have a makeshift miniature golf in your living room using chairs, boxes, carpets and walking sticks.
• Write Down Resolutions Together. Some people might be a little unsure about sharing their personal New Year’s resolutions, but what you can do is to ask your guests to write down funny resolutions to share with everyone. (Learn the Five easy ways to stick to a New Year’s resolution)
• Give Away the Old. Clean out the house of the old stuff you don’t need like clothes and toys. Not only does it make space for the new things you’ve received that Christmas, but you’re also helping a lot of needy people who will be able to put your things to good use.
• Watch Sports Together. January is the time of college football, so you and your family can just sit back and relax watching some sports. You can also make bets, have drinking games and enjoy good old-fashioned yelling at the referee for a bad call.
• Play Sports. If the weather outside is not too bad, why not play a round of sports? You can play touch football, baseball, and even soccer.

Photographer for perfect moment


• Watch Fireworks or the Parade. Cities and towns usually host annual parades and a fireworks show on the first night of the new year. You can set up a comfortable viewing area outside your house by setting up benches and blankets for the cold. You can even prepare a picnic basket so everyone can have a bite to eat while watching the events. (Tips on how to take pictures of fireworks)
• Hire a Photographer. If you hadn’t had time to have your family over for Christmas, New Year’s Day is the perfect opportunity. It’s also the best time to have family portraits done with the rest of the family, because who knows when the next opportunity will come around? Everyone should be dressed in their best for the best family pictures ever.

The First Special Meal of the Year

There isn’t any prescribed rule on what time you should hold a New Year’s Day party, but since you want it to be a family affair with all the kids awake and participating, you better hold it during the daytime. You can either have a breakfast or a lunch buffet.

Breakfast buffets are great especially for those who just work up from partying on New Year’s Eve. You can prepare classics such as waffles, fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, French toast, croissants, toast and a vegetable tray with dip.

Lunch buffets can include deli dishes, salads, hearty stews and soup and a selection of meats such as chicken, beef, pork and fish. Desserts like cakes, pudding and cupcakes are very much welcome, especially for the kids and dessert-loving guests.

Don’t forget your free-flowing drinks. Since some of your guests may have had a lot of alcohol the previous night, it’s probably better to serve non-alcoholic drinks like warm apple cider, soda, fruit juice or sparkling water. You’ll probably hearing a lot of toasts during the party, so keep them coming.

Cool fireworks display for new years party idea.

* They say the first day of the year is always significant, because what you do on that day determines what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year. That’s why you have to celebrate it with a bang! Don’t know how? Here are some ideas to spice up your new year celebrations.