1. It's a low-key celebration
New Year's Eve is the biggest party night of the year, and tends to be the one night that everyone puts their glad rags on and lets their hair down to mark the occasion in style. However, with the exhaustion of Christmas - from the build-up to the cooking and the entertaining - it's likely that your New Year's Eve after kids will be a time for quiet celebration. Pyjamas and a glass of wine before an early night is far more appealing than the thought of queuing three hours for a taxi home in the early hours of the morning.
2. Family comes first
New Year's Eve has always been primetime when it comes to socialising, whether you're staying local at a club or a pub, or heading off on a trip with a group; the aim was always to make fun and crazy memories. After kids, however, you start to appreciate New Year's Eve in a totally different way, as a time of reflection centred around family and loved ones. Gathering the kids around with their cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents at an occasion like this now seems like a much more fitting celebration.
3. You create memories to cherish
While your New Year's Eves of the past are likely to have gone by in a blur, with indistinct memories of counting down on a dance floor, New Year's Eve with your kids is guaranteed to create special memories that will last you forever. You will always look back fondly on those crazy New Year's Eve celebrations of the past, but you now also cherish the togetherness of a big family holiday.
4. Parties are now child-friendly
The less said about your old New Year's Eve parties, the better. These days, your NYE hosting skills not only cover serving up a fine platter of food and drink, but also making sure that the kids are entertained and included in the celebrations. Next to your tables of nibbles and champagne will likely be a colouring and crafts station.
