Shake up your family's New Year's event

Before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, my family will celebrate with some strikes of our own.

 At a local bowling alley, that is.

This tradition started several years ago after my daughter attended a birthday party there in early December. She brought home a flyer headlined, “Be with your family to end the year,” advertising a special New Year’s Eve event. For two hours in the early evening, a family could rent a five- or ten-pin lane for a reasonable, flat fee.

My husband and I liked the idea of doing something active for a change, rather than the five of us sitting at home watching movies. So we made a reservation.

 The event turned out to be even more fun than we anticipated, and we became hooked.

In addition to the opportunity to bowl a couple of strings, there are raffles and games for the children. Our kids’ favourite part, though, is a stretch of cosmic bowling, involving black light, disco balls, a light show and upbeat music. It really makes for a party atmosphere.

Halfway through the event, festive hats and noisemakers are circulated. The kids make enthusiastic use of the latter until it’s time for the concluding, early countdown to the New Year. Everyone receives a cup of ginger ale for the accompanying toast.

My children have raved so much about the experience that last year my sister’s family decided to attend a similar event at a bowling centre near their home. It was the most fun they’d had on New Year’s Eve in a long time, and they plan to make it a tradition now, too.

My extended family also has a tradition we refer to as the New Year's time capsule. It involves making personal predictions for the New Year and reviewing previously made predictions for the year that has just ended. The predictions, listed on a sheet of lined paper, are encapsulated in a cardboard roll with decorative wrap. This is perched in the Christmas tree and gets packed away with the ornaments, to be brought out in a year's time.

That time is New Year's Day, after dinner.

The evening involves lively conversation, a holiday sing-along, a host of board games played by various age groups, and a year-in-review trivia quiz.

Amid the festivities, we bring out the time capsule and review last year's family-related predictions (which might include, for example, an addition to the family or a new skill acquired by someone), scoring them to see how many were accurate. Each year we compare our score with previous ones, to see how our psychic skills are holding up.

Then we develop a sizable list of predictions for the year ahead, coming up with at least one for each family member. Some of them are serious and straightforward, while others are written with a measure of humour. They can even be somewhat unlikely, as long as they’re not out of the realm of possibility.

There is often spirited debate about what to include and how to word it. We refrain from predictions that place undue pressure on an individual and those that are a virtual certainty.

Some perennial favourites include “Mom will finally win the Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes,” “Papa (my father) will buy a pair of jeans,” and “Denise (my sister who’s a nurse) won’t work on Christmas Day.” The rest are different each year.

We have a great deal of fun working on our annual time capsule. It gives us an opportunity to reflect on our goals, hopes, and dreams, and to speculate about the future.

We greet the New Year with a feeling of anticipation and, above all else, of unity.

Lisa M. Petsche is a mother of three and a freelance writer specializing in family life.