Each family has unique celebrations to ring in the new year. When you were a child, your parents would host lavish dinner parties, and you would fall asleep listening to the adults cheer as the clock struck midnight. You enjoyed being out with friends and potentially receiving a good luck kiss in your teenage years! Now, as an adult and your family grows older, you want to spend as much time together as possible. With restrictions on public gatherings, figure out the best way to ring in the new year at home.
Organize a new year’s eve party that will be comfortable for generations, young and old. From themes, snacks, and accessibility modifications, our family at 12 Oaks managed properties will guide you on ringing in 2022 in the best way possible!
14 New Year’s Eve Party Ideas For Senior Family Members
Agreeing to host a new year’s eve party can be stressful. Focus on a central theme, and build your party around that to set expectations. Use these five new year’s eve party ideas to create a memory no one in your family will ever forget.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme One: Blast From The Past
Use this theme to ask your family which decade they would like to choose and focus the entire night on this era. You can design cocktails and new year’s eve appetizers that embrace your creativity and encourage everyone to find costumes. Specific decades might unlock memories for your aging relatives, and you could even learn something new!
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Two: Daytime Party Design
The hardest part about a new year’s eve party is staying up until midnight. Take the pressure off and hold a daytime celebration complete with sparkling ciders and a decadent brunch or early supper. Spending the day together will be the best way to end 2021, and getting a good night’s sleep means everyone starts 2022 in the best form possible.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Three: Memory Lane
Everyone has a favorite new year’s eve party memory. Why not recreate them all at once? This theme keeps the night open and diverse. Each tailored aspect of the evening allows relatives to open up about a highlight in the past.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Four: Rest & Relaxation
This theme is all about being cozy, with a dress code to match! Encourage everyone to wear their pajamas, pop some popcorn and choose a movie for everyone to enjoy as the last hours of 2021 fade away. We suggest simple home spa solutions like face masks or cucumber water to elevate this theme.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Five: Razzle Dazzle
If your family wants to go big, make sure you exceed their expectations with a razzle-dazzle party theme. With glitz, glam and glitter, transform your house into a luxury escape and encourage everyone to dress to impress. While everyone dresses to the nines, it’s an excellent excuse for a new family photo.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Six: Games with Friends and Family
Nothing beats playing fun games with friends and family, especially on occasions like this! Fun yet mildly competitive games are the ultimate way to bring everyone closer together. Moreover, the New Year’s Eve party is an excellent opportunity to introduce new games. When it comes to fun party games, the possibilities are endless — from as simple as UNO and Scrabble to as exciting as Monopoly, Liar’s Dice, and Codenames — it’s all up to you and your parents! You can help your parents and older family members purchase games online or in-store to create a more memorable time while counting down on New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Seven: “When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be…”
Everyone, including your parents, was once a child with dreams of what they wanted to be when they grew up. While only a few of us can make our dreams come true, others may have let life get in between and forgot their childhood dreams. Whatever it is, add a new twist to your New Year’s Eve party by asking everyone to dress up as what they dreamt of as a child.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Eight: New Year’s Resolutions
We all know that it is impossible to tell what we will be in the next five years, but it doesn’t hurt to pen down lists of simple things that you or your parents might need to take care of all year round. It could be to master new skills, learn new languages, declutter your storage, eat healthier, exercise more, spend quality time with friends and family, and more.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Nine: Movie Night
Gathering to watch a set of old-but-gold New Year-themed movies is the top-tier way to get in the spirit before the ball drops! Set up a cozy space, prepare snacks and drinks, dim out the lights, and tune into the following movies: Holiday (1938), Chimes at Midnight (1965), ‘Til We Meet Again (1940), and When Harry Met Sally (1989). Discover more best New Year’s movies here.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Ten: Sitting By A Fire
Sometimes, the best New Year’s Eve party is where all family members gather around a fire and share feelings about the past year, while the new year is only a couple of hours away. It is a fun and cozy way to kiss goodbye to the old year, marking a new beginning with hopes and dreams under the stars. Simple planning is probably the best perk of this party theme. You don’t need to go to a camp to make it happen. Set up a nice outdoor seating area with pillows and throw blankets. Prepare light meals, snacks, and beverages. Keep the fun flowing by preparing ingredients for making s’mores, such as marshmallows, butter cups, Nutella, M&M, mint chocolates, and different flavors of graham crackers.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Eleven: Vision Board
The vision board party theme is similar to New Year’s resolutions but way more fun. The only difference is that using a vision board makes it much easier to envision the future, such as setting goals and determining what you want to accomplish in the coming year. As usual, foods and beverages are staples of any party. Grab old magazines and art supplies, or ask your guests to bring them along.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Twelve: Midnight Brunch
Unless you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve with brunch during the day, there’s no better time to try midnight brunch this time of year. The best thing about this party theme is that it takes out the hassle of cooking fancy, grand meals. Brunch dishes and beverages are delicious, easy to cook, and affordable. Whether your guests dress in smart casual or comfortable pajamas, brunching at midnight might be your new favorite tradition to ring in the new year.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Thirteen: NYE Fashion Show
Celebrate the new year in style by hosting a fashion show! This party theme is the ultimate way for your parents and guests to dress up their most glamorous outfits. NYE Fashion Show can bring lots of laughter and excitement to the mix because the guests are free to dress however they want instead of following a dress code. It is also the best occasion to vote for the best dress of the night and capture new memories in the photographs.
New Year’s Eve Party Theme Fourteen: Trivia Games
The New Year’s trivia game party theme is fantastic to keep people entertained and test their knowledge while educating them about new things and facts around the world. Depending on the number of questions, the game usually takes 1-2 hours, or you can play it until midnight after dinner. To create an exhilarating atmosphere, you can ask the guests to answer within a few seconds or in a split second.
New Year’s Eve Party Activities
After deciding on the theme and getting your family on board, you can dive deeper into your new years eve party aesthetic through food, decorations, and games. With older members of your family in consideration, you still have plenty of options for everyone to be comfortable.
New Year’s Eve Food
The new year’s eve detail our 12 Oaks family prioritizes is the meal! You have several options, from different new year’s eve appetizers, choosing a favorite family recipe, or creating a full buffet. The best options will be low salt, sugar, and fat, but with sugar substitutes and creamy options like hummus or Greek yogurt, everyone’s stomach will be full. Discover our healthy and scrumptious recipes for seniors and loved ones to ring in the new year:
- Cold-weather recipes
- Heart-healthy recipes
- Healthy light dinner recipes
- Appetizing dinner recipes
- Easy and quick finger food recipes
New Year’s Eve Activities
A new year’s eve party is a great chance to bring out board games. Choosing this activity is excellent mental stimulation and allows everyone to sit comfortably. Other activities include:
- Watching a movie or a televised countdown.
- Doing a puzzle.
- Finding a craft project everyone can do together.
Celebrate With Your Local 12 Oaks
In a 12 Oaks-managed community, we love to spend time with our extended family. Each experience at one of our 12 Oaks-managed locations focuses on making everyone feel welcome and celebrated. New Year’s Eve is an excellent opportunity to celebrate accomplishments and plan for the future.
If you have questions about new year’s eve party ideas or any topics discussed here, connect with us and learn more.
At 12 Oaks, our team of caring professionals is dedicated to keeping residents safe, engaged, and connected to their families and friends while leading fulfilling lives. 12 Oaks senior living communities are an ideal place to enjoy the encore season of life.
Don’t hesitate to contact us for questions or to schedule a personalized tour.
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