New Year’s Eve is traditionally quite a boozy holiday with lavish parties as everyone wants to raise their glass to the new year – and why not, we say! – but if you’d prefer a quieter night, there’s many ways of making the evening magical for the whole family. <br> <br>
Have a quiet night in with board games
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Board games are a classic for a reason – even those who may grumble about the board games coming out normally get quite competitive by the end. The best ones for New Year’s are the games that don’t require too much thinking to start with, and encourage conversation. <br> <br> Classics that everyone knows how to play, like Pictionary, are ideal. Fun for all ages, this tends to give rise to many comical situations, and everyone can enjoy it. If your crowd is a little older, Codenames is a newer game which encourages conversation and sometimes gets a little rowdy. Great for crowds, there’s no limit to how many people can play! <br> <br>
Go down the coast
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If you’d like to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, St Ives is about as far away as you can get. And far from being just a summertime destination, the cliffs of Cornwall are lovely in winter as well. Tregenna Castle with its unbeatable sea views still has rooms available for New Year’s from £220 a night. This family friendly resort has an indoor pool as well as acres of land fit for a chilly New Year’s walk.
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While the beaches in the area may not be an option at this time of year, there’s much more to discover in St Ives. The Eden Project with its indoors tropical greenhouses is great for children who love to explore this indoor jungle. And if you’re up for braving the cold, head to Land’s End at the very westernmost edge of Cornwall. The stunning clifftop views may be beautiful in summer, but there is something about the winter winds that shows them off in their best light.
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Celebrate Hogmanay in the Scottish Highlands
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Carrying on a centuries-old Scottish tradition, Hogmanay is thought to have been brought to Scotland in the 8th or 9th century by invading Vikings, and has been celebrated ever since. While today’s celebrations are very similar to New Year’s celebrations in the rest of the UK, there’s something special about ringing in the new year in the wild nature of Scotland. <br> <br> Loch Rannoch is a fairly remote location which was on the traditional route further North, but as quicker routes towards the Highlands have been constructed, the area has been left unspoilt. The area is very walkable, with a clearly marked nature trail for a New Year’s walk. <br> <br> The Loch Rannoch Hotel puts on a multi-day Hogmanay celebration with Hogmanay Dinners two nights in a row, and a fabulous house party on New Year’s eve for £330 per night for a family of four. <br> <br>
Have a movie night
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If board games don’t appeal and you’d prefer to forgo parties altogether, New Year’s Eve is perfect for a movie night. The one night a year where children are allowed to stay up a little bit later you’ve got time to squeeze in more movies – and if you want to watch a few extra ones after the children have gone to sleep, there’s plenty of nostalgic Christmas movies for adults as well. Here’s our top picks for a New Year’s movie marathon:
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Ghostbusters II – while not considered quite as much of a classic as the original, it does have a New Year’s specific plot, and a heart-warming resolution. Rated PG, this is a great one to start the evening off with.
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Forrest Gump – while this feel-good movie only has one New Year’s scene, the message is a great one to remember for your New Year’s resolutions. Life is like a box of chocolates, and you never know what you’ll get! Rated 12, it’s suitable for most.
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The Holiday – recently rumoured to have a sequel brewing, this holiday film is a modern classic set between Christmas and New Year’s. Rated 12A, this may be one for when younger children have gone to bed!
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Whichever movie you pick, don’t forget to take the opportunity to finish off all your leftover Christmas sweets.
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Celebrate in style in Europe
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And if you’d prefer to leave the country entirely, one of the most popular destinations for New Year’s is Vienna, Austria. At the stroke of midnight, in front of the town hall, they play the Blue Danube and invite everyone to join in for a Viennese Waltz. With the food and drink stalls in the surrounding streets, there’s no reason to go anywhere else. <br> <br> Stay at Henriette Stadthotel just steps away from the metro in popular Leopoldstadt, with rooms from £396 per night for a family of four. From here you’ll have easy access to the rest of the sights, including Schönbrunn Palace. <br> <br> The traditional way to spend your New Year’s day in Vienna is to go to the opera, but if you’re looking for opera tickets you’re about 284 days too late – due to extreme popularity, tickets are drawn in a lottery that you can enter on the Vienna Philharmonic website between the 1st and 28th of February every year. <br> <br> However, if you’re willing to wait until the next day, Schönbrunn Palace still has tickets available for its exclusive evening concert for £87 per person. This includes a tour of the palace, dinner and a classical music concert in halls where Mozart himself performed in 1786. As far as ways to ring in the new year, you can’t get much better than that! <br> <br>
No matter where you’re spending New Year’s Eve, your Caxton Currency Card will give you the best rates as well as fee free spending in the UK and abroad. Apply for yours today, or top up your existing card.