My friend Jen and I have spent many New Year’s Eve nights together…starting in the early 90’s. It’s changed a bit since we’ve had children, but we have double the fun with NYE energy times four!

Jen lived several years after college in Boston where she met her husband. My husband grew up in Rhode Island so that makes lobster a perfect New Year’s Eve dinner…our children love it too!

New Year’s Eve celebrations are often thought of as being
adult-only parties but the kids get just as excited about saying, “Happy
New Year” as the adults. 

The kid’s table is where it’s happening! Like any party avec les
enfants, the kid’s table is the one with all the noise makers, party
hats, English party crackers, and M&M’s sprinkled like confetti! 

Families with young children might as well entertain at home with friends. I
promise, it’s loads of fun and you’re making happy memories for your children.
Who knows? Maybe our children will continue the “Jen and Ashley New Year’s
tradition” of ringing in the New Year together! For now, we’re perfectly
happy celebrating the New Year a little bit early with good food and the best
of friends.   

Glamorous glasses are the only way to go for New Year’s Eve. The coupe is my favorite glass to drink champagne from but I also love these dainty and ever so feminine champagne flutes from Olive and Cocoa. My daughter would call these “Fancy Nancy” glasses. The kids will be tickled pink to have their white grape juice in this glass.

As for the adults…we’ll be drinking Kir Royal champagne cocktails. A little splash of blackcurrant liqueur makes for a delicious start to the New Year. It’s called a “Kir” after a priest in Northern France, Canon Felix Kir. The priest was tired of drinking poor quality wine during WWII and found that a little creme de cassis, made the wine drinkable. When mixed with a proper bottle of champagne or white wine, it’s amazing good and goes well with lobster!

Something else you might need for your New Year’s Eve fête is the Corkcicle…the newest and “coolest” wine gadget and New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to use it. Imagine eliminating the ice bucket and keeping your wine/champagne chilled for an hour right on the table…fabulous!

The kid version of the corkcicle is a glitter wand. This makes the perfect party favor! Don’t you remember being memorized by glitter wands when you were a child.