Things You Can Do During A New Year's Eve Night At Home

With 2023 just around the corner, plenty of us have started thinking about how we want to ring it in. According to 24/7 Wall St, about 92% of U.S. adults celebrate New Year's Eve, and approximately 70% stay up past midnight. While some already have elaborate New Year's Eve plans, many choose to stay at home alone or with friends and family rather than go out.

However, staying at home can also feel like just another regular night or a casual get-together, and the start of a new year surely deserves much more celebration than that. Luckily, we've thought of plenty of fun ways to spend your New Year's Eve in the comfort of your home. And we made sure that there is truly something for everyone — from fun things you can do if you're by yourself to unique ways you can entertain a group of people. Don't let anybody tell you that celebrating 2023 at home won't be memorable!

While most people think they have to party hard for New Year's Eve, an incredibly relaxing and luxurious way to say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023 would be to have a spa night at home. The best part about a spa night is that you can do it with friends and family, or you can also do it alone if that's how you prefer to ring in the new year.

While a spa night can be as simple or as elaborate as you'd like, we recommend you include a relaxing shower or bath and a DIY face mask. Per AARP, an essential part of a good spa night is setting the mood by picking cozy lighting, scented candles, and relaxing music. Other things you can't forget are drinks — detox water, hot tea, or even champagne (via Sonoma Lavender Co) are great options — and food. For the latter, there are no rules, you can do a family-size pizza or something healthier like salads or hummus plates.

Don't rush your spa ritual. Give yourself multiple hours to nourish your body and relax your mind. When you are done, hop into your comfiest pajamas and read a book if you're alone, or set the mood for the year by discussing resolutions with family and friends.

If you're having friends and family over for New Year's Eve, a unique thing to do is have everyone present a recap of their year. You may have seen this as a trend on TikTok, where people make a PowerPoint presentation of their 2022 dating life (via BuzzFeed News), but the same concept will work for this, too.

Ideally, let everyone who will be with you for NYE know 10 or so days in advance, so they have enough time to create a mini presentation of their past year. You can give them guidelines and let them know to include categories such as family, love, travel, work/school, and mental health. But also give them the freedom to execute the presentations in any way they'd like. Once you're all together on New Year's Eve, you can present them to each other, almost like a school project where you also include 5-10 minutes after each presentation for questions.

As far as equipment goes, it's totally fine to have them on a computer screen, but if you want to be a bit more professional, you can always cast them onto the television or even use a projector.

A classic way to ring in the New Year at home is by having a marathon of your favorite movies or binging a show you adore. This idea is another thing you can do alone or if you're spending the evening with others.

Apart from picking what you will watch, make sure you create the perfect ambiance for a fun night of entertainment. Think of your experience when you go to the cinema and try to replicate that. Make sure you turn the lights off, have the sound a bit louder than you usually would, and do not forget the most essential parts: popcorn, soda, and any other snacks you can munch on during the marathon.

The GCRN suggests that you should also make a rough schedule of when you will begin streaming and when each movie/episode should end so that you can have appropriate breaks in between. Another crucial part is using technology that won't be laggy, and if you're streaming, make sure your internet is stable.

If you're someone who makes New Year's resolutions every year, consider making them a big part of your New Year's Eve. A fun way to prepare for 2023 is by creating a vision board of your resolutions. According to media and life coach Zakiya Larry, a vision board "is a visual representation of your goals" (via Oprah Daily).

Creating a board for 2023 is something you can do by yourself or with friends and family. If you're doing it with other people, tell them in advance so they can bring anything they want to put on their boards. Apart from that, you will need scissors and glue, and magazines or a printer to print out images, quotes, or anything else that visualizes the future you want.

According to Psychology Today, mental practices such as visualization "can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy," so be sure to put your board in a visible spot in your home so that you're reminded of your goals on a daily basis.

A big part of many New Year's Eve parties is music, and what better way to celebrate than to sing along? Hosting a karaoke party sounds intimidating, but it is actually quite easy. You can rent an actual karaoke machine — prices range between $100 and $250 (via Fash) — or you can also find a microphone on Amazon for $20. While the quality of the inexpensive mic maybe isn't as great as the rented equipment, it will do its job. As far as the actual songs go, you can find plenty of karaoke music online, especially on YouTube.

As Avista Audio Visual suggests, create categories such as Worst Singing, Best Duet, and Best Outfit to make things even more fun. Once everyone performs, give them paper to write down their choice for each category, then have a little award ceremony. For prizes, you can certainly buy little trinkets if you'd like, but you can also get more creative and award things such as an Instagram story shout-out by everyone, a five-minute palm massage, or homemade cookies.

Those who are ringing in the New Year far away from their loved ones can still celebrate with them thanks to technology. Yes, a virtual New Year's Eve party is not only fun, but it also provides a way for you to start 2023 with the people you care about the most, even if they are far and wide.

To host a virtual party, you'll need to pick a platform like Zoom or Google Meet, send out invites to everyone, and then plan what you will virtually do. While talking and catching up is going to be a big part of the night, you can also play fun games together, such as QuizUp or Kahoot (via Social Tables).

If you want to go the extra mile, order food for everyone at the same time, so it can feel even more like you're all together in person (via Hoppier). Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, most people have had plenty of practice with video calls, so having a virtual party shouldn't feel too strange.

Another fun thing you can do at home with friends or family is to host a murder mystery party. At this type of party, per A Murder Mystery Dinner, attendees will work together to solve a fake murder. Even though you can purchase a murder mystery game set, you can also find numerous free murder mystery games online (via The Spruce).

According to Masters of Mystery, if you're a first-time murder mystery party host, make sure you decorate your space to fit the mystery, assign the characters in advance so that people can dress up as them if they want to, and consider giving out awards at the end for categories such as Best Detective, Best Costume, and Best Liar. Of course, keep in mind that a murder mystery party isn't everyone's cup of tea, so make sure that the people you are spending your New Year's Eve with will enjoy playing it, so that no one ends up feeling left out or bored.

A great way to relax, have a couple of drinks, and express yourself creatively is to have a drink-and-draw party. All you need are canvases or paper, a painting or drawing medium of your choice, and, of course, your favorite boozy drinks. According to Drink & Draw, it's best to have everyone bring their own supplies so that they can be more comfortable with creating art. However, if you want the end results to be more cohesive, you can provide the same supplies to everyone. You can buy a Paint and Sip Kit that contains all of the supplies for one person on Amazon for around $15.

To give the drink-and-draw a New Year's theme, tell everyone to draw one of their resolutions. By the time you ring in 2023, you should have a variety of art pieces depicting different travel locations, hobbies, relationships, and more.

A New Year's Eve get-together at home is a perfect opportunity to get to know your friends and family better. There's no doubt that most of us think we know the people we love in and out, but there are always things you don't know about your loved ones. And this is where meaningful card games come in.

Lifestyle Asia suggests five card games you can buy to get to know people better: We're Not Really Strangers, Uncurated, Big Talk, So Cards, and Connect. Our top choice is We're Not Really Strangers, a card game that, after playing, will make you feel much closer to everyone. Purchase it for $25 on the We're Not Really Strangers website.

A satisfied buyer raves about the game in a review, saying, "I've gotten really close to people I've already been close with. It's a beautiful game with a wonderful purpose, and I bring it everywhere I go! It has improved the way I communicate with my dearest friends and also people I barely know."

Hosting a themed party is a classic way to spice up your New Year's Eve at home. Some theme ideas include Y2K, goth-chic (yes, we've binged "Wednesday" on Netflix), and old Hollywood. Of course, you can go a more specific route and pick a movie, show, musician, or anything else you and your guests are fans of.

"Think of your theme like that ultra-fun friend you can always rely on to help get a party going for you," journalist Andee Tagle writes for NPR. "It should be a conversation starter, something to get people excited and give your guests common ground in shared activities like costumes or potluck items to connect over." She added that thinking creatively and outside of the box is encouraged.

Besides telling everyone to dress up in costume, make sure that the music, food, and activities align with the theme. This way it will be a night everyone will remember, and not just another typical New Year's Eve home party.

If you will only have a handful of people around for New Year's Eve or if you will be alone, a fun activity you can do is a photo shoot. Yes, you might not have a great background, professional camera, or appropriate lighting but hear us out — everyone can execute a simple photo shoot at home with their phone and a couple of adjustments. 

According to MasterClass, you'll first need to develop a good concept for the shoot. Think about what you want to wear, what your hair and makeup will look like, and most importantly, don't be afraid to try different things. After all, this is not you taking regular photos for the 'gram.

Regarding equipment, today's smartphones have excellent camera quality, so you can take photos with your phone. If you are by yourself, enlist the help of the phone's timer feature. If there are limited areas in your home with good lighting, you can get a ring light on Amazon for under $20. And while anything can be used for your background, if you want that studio feel, get a roll of white wrapping paper and hang it behind you so that the background doesn't clash with your vision.

Another New Year's Eve at-home activity that you can do by yourself or with others is to attend a virtual event. Through sites like Eventbrite, you can find various virtual events planned for December 31 to ring in 2023. Concerts, trivia games — if you can name it, there's likely a virtual version of it out there. Keep in mind that most events have a maximum capacity, which is why if this intrigues you, you should sign up for something as soon as possible.

Apart from that, some virtual events, such as parties, do have an entrance fee, but many of them are free of charge. These events are also fun experiences you can share with a friend or family member who doesn't live nearby and may be alone that night. Imagine the two of you virtually attending the same New Year's Eve event together.

A white elephant party is a fun gift exchange but with a twist. Per White Elephant Rules, the first step is to have everyone bring a gift. To make it less of a hassle, you should set a budget or have everyone bring something they already have at home but don't use or want to get rid of. All of the gifts then get put into a shared pool.

The second step is having everyone draw a number, which will determine the order of picking out the gifts. The person who got number one picks a gift from the pile and unwraps it. After that, person number two can choose whether they want to pick a gift from the pile themselves or if they want the gift the first person chose. Anyone who has their gift "stolen" gets to pick another one from the pile. Continue the game in that manner until everyone has received a gift.

If preparing enough food for everyone is stressing you out, consider throwing a potluck party for New Year's Eve. This way, the pressure of providing yummy dishes is taken off your back, and if you're worried that asking people to bring food is rude — let us assure you that people love the feeling of contributing, which is why everyone will be thrilled to bring something.

According to Better Homes & Gardens, to have the best putlock ever, you should assign people with categories of food they should bring (entrée, main dish, side dish, dessert, snacks, drinks, etc.) so you don't end up having too much of one thing and too little of another. You should also ask the guests if they have any dietary restrictions because the last thing you want is for someone to only be able to eat the food they brought.

If you're spending New Year's Ever with friends and family, a fun game you can play is to guess each other's resolutions. This game is particularly entertaining if kids are participating as well. Per PureWow, all you have to do is hand out pieces of paper on which your guests will write one of their resolutions for 2023. Afterward, you fold them, put them in a jar, and shake them well. Then you let each person pull out one piece of paper, after which they will try to guess who wrote the resolution.

To help your guests form resolutions they will manage to stick with, consider the advice American College of Lifestyle Medicine president, Dr. Beth Frates, shared with Good Morning America. Frates said that the best outcome comes with "a reasonable goal," which is one "that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound." For example, instead of saying that you will meditate more, turn the resolution into something more specific such as "I will meditate every day for five minutes before bedtime."

For any wine lover out there, ringing in the new year with a wine tasting is as good as it gets. Luckily, a wine tasting is something you can easily host at home. Needless to say, it's not the host who needs to provide all the wine bottles; instead, have each guest bring one! According to Kitchn, opt for a theme to make it a bit more professional. This means you will either try out wines of the same value or from the same region. Make sure you disguise each wine by pouring it in a decanter or covering the bottle with paper or foil. This way, everyone can share their honest opinion without being influenced by the bottle.

A wine tasting definitely calls for small food bites, and a charcuterie board is a perfect choice. This way, you will have a variety of snacks such as cheeses, meats, crackers, and fruits. With that selection, there is bound to be something that works well with each wine.

There are often times when people believe they don't have the right occasion to share with friends and family just how much they mean to them. But honestly, what better way to start the new year right than to tell the people closest to you just how much they mean to you? Not only will this make them feel loved and important, but it will also make you feel better — knowing that you shared your thoughts with them.

On New Year's Eve, give everyone a piece of paper or two and a pen, and give them half an hour to an hour to write a thank you letter to someone at the party (via Abt). To make sure everyone gets a letter, draw names beforehand. If you want to make things a bit more special, consider getting some nice stationery — there is plenty to choose from on Etsy.

For lovers of social media and dancing challenges, a TikTok-inspired dance competition is a fun and active way to spend a New Year's Eve at home. All you need to do is find a couple of fun and easy TikTok dances (via USA Today), divide guests into small groups, or choose to do the competition with solo dances, and plan the night appropriately. Make sure there is enough time to practice the dances, after which you can start the competition.

Since they are TikTok dances, it is only appropriate to record each dance, even though there is, of course, no pressure to post the dances publicly. Once everyone is done performing, you can rewatch all of the contestants' dances and vote anonymously on a piece of paper. To make things feel more official, come up with fun prizes for the first-, second-, and third-place winners.

Granted, those who don't enjoy cooking probably won't like this suggestion, but if you and your friends love trying out new food together and at least one of you is also decently good in the kitchen, then nothing is really stopping you from ringing 2023 in with a fancy homemade five-course meal.

According to The Gingered Whisk, hosting a French five-course meal isn't difficult at all if you prepare for it properly. To kick things off, they suggest a charcuterie platter, followed by brioche toasts with peas and ricotta. Next comes a simple goat cheese salad for the third course, followed by steak and ratatouille. Lastly, for dessert, they recommend chocolate tart with fresh berries. While you can follow a pre-planned menu like this, you can also choose to come up with one of your own, taking into account recipes that your and your friends like (or are good at making).

If you want to enter the new year relaxed and calm, there's nothing better than a yoga party. According to The New York Times, yoga is "proven to help reduce stress and the health effects it causes," which is why it's perfect to set you on the right path for 2023. After all, getting drunk and partying all night is completely overrated. (Just think of the hangover.)

To throw a fun yoga party, you first need to consider your guests — are they regularly practicing yogis or complete newbies? Depending on that, you will pick a routine to do, and for this, the internet is your best friend. YouTube, in particular, is filled with plenty of fantastic yoga tutorials that are easy to follow.

Regarding equipment, it would be great if everyone could have a yoga mat (your guests could bring one if they have it), but towels or firm cushions will also do the job (via The Yoga Nomads). Per Crafty Little Gnome, make sure you have soft lighting (candles – yes, overhead lamps – no) and incense to enhance the relaxing experience.

When people talk about their hobbies, they light up, and it puts them in a better mood. Now imagine how someone feels when they share their hobby with people who are interested in it and potentially want to learn it. Per Elite Daily, sharing hobbies will strengthen any relationship, so doing this on New Year's Eve is a great way to set the tone for the upcoming year.

We suggest having everyone present their hobby for five to 10 minutes and then allow time for questions. Some good starting points would be to ask them when they do the hobby, whether they would prefer doing it alone or with someone else, and how it makes them feel. If someone's hobby is hard to showcase at your home (like fencing, fishing, etc.), let them explain it and show a video of them doing it. 

Being alone for New Year's Eve gives you the perfect opportunity to redecorate your space so that 2023 will truly feel like a fresh start. According to The Spruce, the first thing you should do is declutter. "Take stock of what you have and what's working," designer Ahmad AbouZanat recommends. "Make space for the things that bring you joy." After that, consider moving around smaller furniture pieces, such as side tables, floor lamps, and decorative items, according to designer Megan Hopp. "Art and mirrors can hugely impact and or change the feeling of a space, and so refreshing the location of those kinds of pieces is something I always advise giving a go," she adds.

Sometimes the best thing you can do when redecorating is to take all of the decor on your shelves, tables, and walls and then rearrange them from scratch. Trust us, the satisfying feeling of finding a combination that looks great and just feels right is worth it!

A lot of times, we focus solely on the incoming new year, but saying goodbye to the year that's ending is also worth celebrating. One way to bid 2022 a fond farewell is to make a time capsule, which you can do alone or with friends and family.

For the time capsule, you'll need a weather-resistant container, and the best materials are plastic and metal (via Living Well Spending Less). What you decide to put inside is entirely up to you, but it should be related to the year you're saying goodbye to. If you're doing this alone, you can include as many items as you'd like but if you're making a time capsule with other people, try to limit the number of items per person.

Of course, you must also figure out where to hide the capsule. Per Living Well Spending Less, you can go the traditional route and bury it somewhere in your yard, or you can just hide it somewhere in your home. The last thing you need to figure out is when you will open the time capsule again. We recommend no less than five years later (after all, you want to forget what you put in there).

A fun, New Year's Eve-themed game you can play is Two Truths and a Lie, but instead of using any statements, this game should revolve around resolutions (via Verywell Family).

For example, your two truthful statements could be "I want to wake up at 7 a.m. every day" and "I want to travel to Spain in 2023," while your false resolution could be "I want to spend less time on TikTok." The people guessing which resolution is the lie are allowed to ask you a bunch of related questions, which is why you need to show your best poker face. Regardless of what you choose as the false resolution, make sure that the lie is as believable as possible. Playing this game is not only fun, but it will also allow everyone to know each other's resolutions. The game gets particularly interesting when someone thinks an actual resolution is something the person would never want.

Everyone wants their new year to be full of wealth, sparkle, and glamour, so what better way to kick it off than with a classy cocktail party with plenty of champagne? You might think you need a bartender and expensive food for a party like that, but that isn't the case.

As Style Me Pretty suggests, you can make multiple drink stations across your designated party area, and as far as food goes, a couple of charcuterie boards will do the job. If you plan everything well in advance (food, drinks, decorations), you won't have to stress about anything during the night.

This is optional, but you can also move some furniture around (or into another room) so that you can have a little impromptu dance floor. And if you're already known for hosting cocktail parties, may we suggest you go even more glamorous and host a black-tie event? Who says that only the rich and famous can experience exquisite parties?