Ring in the New Year with friends

New Year’s Eve has a reputation for being expensive and stressful. You don’t have to go out for it to count. If you’re looking for things to do on New Year’s Eve, a small night at home is easy to plan, costs very little and is often more fun. Everyone brings one snack, you watch the countdown, and at midnight each person says one thing they want from the year.

Plan it a week ahead

Invite a handful of friends in the middle of December, when diaries are filling. Four to eight people is comfortable. Say what time it starts, and ask everyone to bring one snack. Add one line for the practical bits: who is staying over, who’s taking a train or a ride home, and that anyone can leave when they like.

Think about getting home before you start. Taxis and trains can be scarce at midnight, so someone who is driving shouldn’t be drinking, and anyone who has had alcohol should have a safe way home or a place to sleep.

What to bring

Beyond the snacks and something sparkling on your list, these make the night easier:

• A few blankets and cushions, since people end up on the floor
• Paper and pens for the wishes
• Something non-alcoholic to toast with, as well as any drinks with alcohol
• A tray or two for dishes, and a trash bag by the door
• A way to see the countdown, such as the TV or a stream on a laptop

If you serve alcohol, it’s optional, and only for guests who are 21 or older in the US.

How to run the evening

1. Set out the snacks about an hour before people arrive.
2. Put on music you all like. Keep it low enough to talk over.
3. Eat, talk and catch up for the first couple of hours.
4. Around ten or eleven, play something easy. A card game, charades, or a round of “best moment of the year” works.
5. Ten minutes before midnight, hand out the glasses and the pieces of paper.
6. Watch the countdown together. When it hits zero, toast and hug.
7. Go round the room, and let each person say one thing they want from the year. Fold the paper up and keep it.

Easy games that don’t need a game

• Best and worst. Each person shares the best and the funniest bad thing from the year.
• Charades or a quiz. Use categories everyone knows, like films or songs from the last year.
• Predictions. Everyone writes three predictions for next year and keeps them, to open next New Year’s Eve.

What goes wrong

• The night drags before midnight. Keep a game ready, or put on a film so no one is waiting around.
• Someone is left out. Ask a quiet friend to help with the snacks, so they have a job and a way in.
• Candles and sparklers. Keep real flames well away from curtains and sleeves. Don’t use fireworks indoors, and check local rules before using them outside.
• Alcohol. Make sure there are drinks without it, and food throughout the evening. Look out for anyone who has had too much.
• Getting home. Sort it out early, not at 1 a.m.

After midnight

Let people go home when they want. If friends are staying, put out water and a simple breakfast, and clear the plates in the morning. Put the folded wishes in an envelope and write the year on it. You can open it next New Year’s Eve.

If you’d rather keep it quiet

You don’t need a crowd. Two friends, a pot of something warm and a film you all like is a perfectly good New Year’s Eve. If you’re on your own, you can cook a favourite meal, write yourself a letter to open next year, or call someone you love at midnight. The night doesn’t have to be loud to mean something.

Make it a winter evening

Keep the lights low and a few candles burning, in jars where they can’t tip, and put your coats by the door so no one has to hunt for them. If you want the night to feel more like a plan for the year, try a vision board the week before, or choose a word for the year together at midnight.