Celebrating New Years Eve with Little Children

This year my sons have been asking to stay up on New Years Eve.  I wasn't crazy about letting them stay up until midnight, but we did come to a compromise-  this year we'll be celebrating 2010 at midnight in New York (11pm here).  It's still very late for our kids (ages 2-6 years old), but an hour earlier may make for less cranky kids in the morning.   

To celebrate, I made surprise bags which I had seen in Family Fun Magazine.  I've made 5 bags each marked with a different time.  Starting at 6pm, the kids can open up one bag each hour.  Inside the bags there are:

*Glow Sticks (we stocked up around Halloween, but you can find them for 88 cents a piece in Wal-marts toy section)
*New Years Plates and Napkins- to go along with a cake I plan to make
*Cute Plastic Cups- for punch
*A DVD (free from the library)
*Colored Papers- to write messages to themselves for next year.  After writing the message, you stuff them in your stockings so that they are safely packed away until next Christmas season.  Next year when you pull out stockings to decorate, they can read the letters they wrote to themselves!
*Confetti/noise makers to use at *midnight*

We've never tried staying up this late at home, so we'll see how it goes.  Next year when the kids are a little older, I'd like to try more games and activities.  Maybe we'll even stay up until midnight our time then!

Another fun idea I've come across is making Time Capsules.  Courtney on Women Living Well has a post today that shares how you can make one with your family.  I plan on making one with my kids later this year.

If you have New Years Eve plans with your children, I'd love to hear what they are!  Have an idea of something else fun to do tonight?  I'm up for suggestions!

Have a happy New Year!