25 Creative Things to Do on New Year's Eve When You're Not Invited to a Party

Have you been wanting to learn something new but just haven’t found the time? Grab some supplies, make space in your home or garage, and cue the YouTube videos. New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to learn to bake a three-layer cake, paint a stunning landscape, turn a table leg, build the perfect fire, or knit.

Slow down and enjoy the time afforded you to focus on learning something new. Better yet, you’ll have the whole year ahead to hone your newfound skill.

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I realize this one sounds like a downer to a lot of us, but I know people who relish the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and dive into a deep clean of every space in their home. Think about it: How fabulous would it feel to start the new year with the stove degreased, the baseboards sparkling, and the fridge shiny and fresh?

If you have a crew of kids and spouse, turn your New Year’s deep clean into a party. Crank up the music, give the kids slippery socks and something to clean the floor with, and watch them dance their way to pristine floors. Just make sure you cap off your cleaning party with an easy meal that delights everyone. Ice cream sundaes pass as a meal around here at least once a year.

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If the thought of not being invited anywhere on New Year’s makes you feel left out, try focusing on others instead. Psychologists have long acknowledged the benefits of turning our attention to the needs of others when we’re feeling blue, but the Bible has something to say about helping others, too:

Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

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Soup meals are so much fun to put on. For one thing, serving soup is a doable task even for the more culinarily-challenged among us. Purchase a nice store-bought soup, heat it up, and you’re good to go. Pair soup with rolls and ask guests to bring desserts to share, and voila! Your soup meal can be enjoyed by everyone with very little prep.

5. Invite Others to a New Year’s Potluck

If soup isn’t your thing, why not invite others for a good old-fashioned New Year’s Eve potluck? Think about who in your circle (workplace, church, etc.) might be spending their New Year’s Eve alone, and ask them to bring a favorite dish. Potlucks can be structured by requesting guests to bring something specific, like a salad, or they can be a game of chance—you get what you get and that’s part of the fun! Just be prepared to laugh about the four bags of potato chips and the one chicken casserole.

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Who else ends up coming home from the workplace with a truckload of Christmas treats that can never be eaten fast enough? Here’s your chance to use it up!

Invite friends over for a rollicking game night and set out all the Christmas goodies. Everyone will get to enjoy them and you won’t be stuck with chocolate remorse come January 31st.

7. Bless Someone Who’s Working

Know someone who needs to work on New Year’s Eve? You have a great opportunity to bless that loved one by taking a meal or a cup of hot coffee and a treat to them on their break.

One of my favorite New Year’s Eve memories is the year my sister-in-law was working as a nurse in a children’s hospital and we enjoyed dinner with her in the hospital cafeteria.  She was grateful that we brought a little cheer and fun to her break, and we were delighted to be able to share it with her.

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The elders at my church practice something they call a “joy bomb.” When someone is having a particularly hard time, the elders inundate them with encouraging text messages all at the same time. I’ve seen people weepy over the love they’ve felt because of joy bombs, and it really does speak volumes when a day or a season is otherwise depressing or difficult.

Who in your life needs a New Year’s joy bomb?

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Even if you’re not a musician, you can host a time of worship and prayer, right in your own home. Crank up the worship music and sing together. Ask your guests which songs are their favorites, and tell stories of how the music has ministered to you. Spend time praying over your friends, family, and neighbors, your pastors, your workplaces, schools, cities, and country. I can’t think of a better way to start the new year!

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Have you ever taken a walk around your neighborhood with the sole purpose of praying for every person living there? The new year is a fabulous time to focus on the community where you live and work, and praying for the people around you is a high calling. Pour yourself a hot drink, bundle up, and walk your neighborhood praying for your neighbors.

11. Reach Out to New People

Who is new in your church or community? Often when we are new to a town or church, we are just dying for someone—anyone—to invite us to do something. They’ll be so grateful, and it really doesn’t matter what you prepare or serve. Simply invite them over for cider and cookies and enjoy getting to know someone new. In the process, you’ll find yourself equally blessed, because God’s Word tells us that’s how it works:

“Do not neglect to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2

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Movie theaters are open in most cities on New Year’s Eve. Is there a film you’ve been putting off seeing? This might be your chance to see that blockbuster that wouldn’t fit into your holiday schedule. Don’t skimp on the movie theater snacks; instead of buying a new dress or a hostess gift that would otherwise have attended a party, splurge on a large popcorn and soda!

13. Go Bowling

One year when I was in middle school, my family found ourselves without any extended family to celebrate the holidays. New Year’s Eve rolled around and we were itching to go out and do something fun. Sure enough, the bowling alley nearby was open, and although we weren’t a bowling family, we took that as a challenge.

It was so much unexpected fun, I’m telling you about it 35 years later!

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And by great dinner, I mean great dinner! If you or someone in your family is an excellent cook, plan your favorite fancy meal, pack it into a picnic basket (china, crystal, cloth napkins, and all), and hit the road. Or plan to pick up a take-out meal from a beloved restaurant.

Bonus: Winter sunsets are a stunning backdrop to a fancy tailgate. It’s hard to miss the glory of God in a well-planned meal and a favorite location.

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Many churches host New Year’s Eve services, and you can join them even if you’re not a regular attendee there. In fact, one of our favorite things to do each year is to attend the Christmas Eve service at another church. The fresh way they worship and their “church culture” wakes us up a little and helps us focus on Christ in a new and refreshing way.

Look for a New Year’s Eve service at a church near you, and maybe it will become your welcome yearly tradition, too.

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Practicing hygge is an idea borrowed from those who live in the cold climes of Denmark and Norway. “Hygge” is their way of expressing that cozy, comfortable, content feeling one gets when warm and snuggled in, enjoying the simple lovely benefits of winter.

What does hygge mean to you? Is it reading a well-loved book by a well-lit fire, slippers on and a wool blanket across your lap? Is it candles and a snoring dog? Cups of steaming hot coffee and cocoa? Whatever it is that brings you that contented joy of a warm home in winter, do that. All evening long. And then sleep a comfortable cozy sleep all the way into the new year.

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I suppose this idea really could fall under the first one on the list of learning a new skill, but let's just narrow it down to something edible. The possibilities are endless because not only is the world a smorgasbord of flavors and dishes, the skill levels of cooks run the gamut from beginner to Master Chef.

Where do you fall on the culinary skill level scale? If you’ve never turned on anything other than a microwave and a toaster, start with homemade chocolate chip cookies. It’s the recipe my mom taught me first, and it’s so straightforward, anyone can do it. Just grab a bag of chocolate chips, make sure you have all the necessary ingredients, and follow the recipe on the bag.

But if you’re a Master Chef, I don’t need to tell you what to make. Turn on the stove and get going.

No matter your skill level, remember: Those New Year’s resolutions are coming soon, so live it up!

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If you start with the earliest broadcast, you can celebrate the new year all day long!  Just do an internet search for “New Year’s Eve countdown” and make your watchlist, then settle in with a box of sparklers and a little bubbly (sparkling cider is fully acceptable, especially if you have young people celebrating, too).

We have had kids celebrating with us for so many years, we learned early on to ring in the new year while watching a broadcast that aired three hours earlier than our own time. The kids never knew the difference, and they were in bed by 9:30. Then my husband and I put our feet up and practiced some good old fashioned hygge (see #16).

Is there someone you’re missing terribly this holiday season? Will they be available to correspond with you from afar? The ability to communicate with the people we love is the number one reason I embrace technology. In fact, when all else tech-related fails us, this might be its one redeeming quality!

Plan a New Year’s Eve video chat via any number of avenues online and redeem the evening together. I think this might be the very best way to start the new year, don’t you?

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Yep. Just like those culinary competitions seen on TV, you too can stage a culinary competition right from your very own kitchen. Who would love to be in on this with you? And what might the mystery ingredient be? Don’t forget the name tags, aprons, and prizes. Oh! And don’t forget to film it, too!

21. Have a Movie Franchise Marathon

What’s your favorite movie franchise or series? There are so many options, with something to suit almost everyone’s taste. But on a day like December 31st, you have the entire 24 hours to watch every single movie in your beloved series with only intermittent breaks for sustenance and an occasional trip to the washroom as needed.

When else can you devote an entire day to such an endeavor?

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Sometimes we make New Year’s resolutions, and sometimes we just hope and dream. Neither is a superior approach to the new year, but hoping and dreaming sounds a lot more fun on a New Year’s Eve than making an endless list that feels impossible to achieve.

Where do you want to see the glory of God in the new year? What do you dream of doing, seeing, or being? Make that list and hand it over to God. He loves us so very much and fulfills our hearts in a way that is beyond what we ever asked for or imagined. (Ephesians 3:20)

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Have you ever gone on a geocaching expedition? Now’s your chance! Grab a buddy and head out into the night sky. Dance under the stars, add a New Year’s trinket to every cache you find and then go out for an early, early breakfast. Best part? That long winter’s nap once you get back home.

24. Relive a Childhood Memory

I was recently talking to a friend about what she does on New Year’s Eve, and she told me her favorite way to celebrate the new year is to relive some old memories. Last year she and her husband made living room forts, watched The Sandlot, and played a rousing game of Payday. Which childhood memories would you like to recall?

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When I pitched the question that would lead to the list of 25 creative things you can do on New Year’s Eve, overwhelmingly my friends responded with some version of, “I’d take a hot bath, put on some warm jammies, turn off the lights, and go to bed early.” New Year’s Eve is a lovely night to pack it in. Rest. Rejuvenate after the manic holiday season and before January lulls us back into a regular work and life schedule. Isn’t rest such a beautiful balance to the life we’re called to live? 

Kendra Fletcher is a mother of 8, speaker, author, and podcaster. She is the author of Lost and Found: Losing Religion, Finding Grace, and Leaving Legalism,and she regularly writes for Key Life Ministries. The Fletchers reside in California, where they play in the Pacific Ocean as often as possible. Find her here: www.kendrafletcher.com

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