As a child, we invariably celebrated the New Year with our relatives. And for many, this is perhaps one of the warmest memories of those distant years. Christmas tree, set table, the closest and most beloved around. «Concentration» of genuine happiness. But, becoming teenagers (and even a little older), we distanced ourselves from everyone and bragged with the desire to celebrate holidays with our friends – in locations far from the concept of comfort and coziness.



It's good that everything is changing. Years later, we begin to understand the meaning of the phrase «New Year – family holiday» and prefer to gather in large companies already on January 2-3, invariably «booking» New Year's Eve to meet with relatives.

Today we will tell you how to make the home New Year really interesting and memorable.

New Year in the family: scenario, contests, entertainment

«Critics» of New Year's Eve in the circle of relatives and friends most often use one argument – «it's incredibly boring! &Raquo;. However, everything depends not on the format of the holiday, but, of course, on the preparation for it - on the initiative and imagination of the participants.

Find out in advance who exactly will be at the table on New Year's Eve. Depending on this, plan the entertainment program. As a rule, a home holiday is a multi-age «public», so we will focus on some universal concept.

A specific scenario, like at a corporate party or a youth party, should be abandoned. At home, all this looks pretty stupid, and the goals are completely different - you just need to fill the pauses between «Irony of fate…», Galkin's speeches with Pugacheva, the president's speech and eating salads. 



A good idea – «award» (some family «Oscar»). At the award ceremony with a description of the merits and achievements of the household  it is worth «sharpen» the whole plot of the New Year in the family. The script, contests and other nuances can be associated with this humorous ceremony:
  • Nomination «Chief Scientist of the House». It is awarded to Dima Ivanov – a student of the 5th «B» class. For academic success, 2nd place at the Mathematics Olympiad and constant experiments with household utensils. Reward – MP3 player.
  • Nomination «Main nurse». It is awarded to Grandma Masha. For the best seedlings, for an excellent harvest of cucumbers and carrots, as well as for an amazing ability to save money, while pleasing children and grandchildren with guests. Reward - a small TV for the dacha.
The prizes in this case can be gifts prepared in early December.



And don't forget about contests. The option is easier - ordinary games, which are now sold in abundance in specialized stores. But it's not very fun. It's better to play a fashionable game – «Psychics».

Game rules
In one of the variations, each participant goes through three stages. On the first - guesses an object hidden behind the screen, on the second - a famous person whose photo is in an envelope, on the third - also a famous person from a children's photo (you need to find something more complicated).

The guessing system is the same as in the game «with papers on the foreheads». It is necessary to make any assumptions, getting the answers to them «yes» or «no», narrowing the circle of guesses with each move. The winner is the one who passes all three stages faster than others (will put forfewer assumptions).

If there are no children or elderly people in the company (or they want to act as spectators), a punishment can be introduced for each erroneous assumption. For example, a light electric shock – harmless shockers «on hand» are sold in stores of unusual gifts.

Salad, appetizer, hot: ideas of dishes for the New Year

Entertainment is entertainment, but I always want to eat. And especially on New Year's Eve. After all, over the decades we have developed an almost conditional reflex: «the president congratulates and you can see the Christmas tree – now there will be delicious food! &Raquo;

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And not just delicious food, but high-budget delicacies, for which no one spares money, sometimes giving a monthly salary. Or even two. But the compilation of a festive menu is «creative problem» for any housewife. I always want to cook something unusual, new, tasty. But there are critically few good ideas, and the fear of unproven recipes makes you cook the same dishes from year to year.

Put away the banalities! We don't touch Olivier (it's sacred), but otherwise we turn on the imagination. We offer you three recipes of dishes that will definitely turn out and be delicious. If, of course, you buy good products.

1  Baker Salad



How to cook:
Cucumber and avocado should be cut into thin strips, and then mixed with shrimp and mayonnaise. Salt to taste and generously decorate with pine nuts.
«Baker» intrigues with the fat and oily texture, which «the freshness of shrimps breaks through. This is a very unusual idea of a dish for the New Year - relatives will definitely appreciate the originality.

2 Spicy mussels with rice and cream sauce

Since it's New Year's Eve, there should be a lot of delicious «sanction» seafood on the table. As a hot snack, you can serve mussels in shells (sold frozen in large stores). 



How to cook:
Everything is easy to prepare. The mussels are steamed in a large pot (until they open), then the top sash is removed. Add a teaspoon of rice to the mussel, salt everything and season with red pepper abundantly (fresh chopped greens are also allowed).

Everything must be poured over the sauce, which is prepared separately in a saucepan: hot cheese is melted in pieces in heated cream, and then the whole mixture is cooked until the state of «medium thickening».

Serve this dish in the Belgian manner - with tomatoes and french fries. Traditionally, European ideas of dishes for the New Year always please young people very much.

3 Quin with chive and bacon

A hot dish from the series «you'll eat your mind». The main requirement is to go to the market in advance and buy the best pork loin (it's the one with ribs).



How to cook:
We make deep cuts between the bones in the meat – and insert a thick (1 cm) slice of quince, a little thyme and a sprig of rosemary into each one. Then the whole loin is covered with bacon, tightly tied with threads and sent to the sleeve for baking. In 2 hours in the oven (200 degrees) the main dish of the New Year's table will be ready.

Serve in portions and eat with a knife, cutting off a small piece of pork, cince and bacon at the same time. It's a «killer» flavor combination.

Interesting gift ideas for the New Year for relatives

Since childhood, waiting for the New Year is waiting for gifts. And even if over time the pleasantly disturbing intrigue is greatly dulled, but a completely new (and even stronger) pleasure appears - not to receive gifts, but to give. Think about each family member in advance, because you can always buy something necessary, but inexpensive. You just have to find the right «vector». Choose gifts according to your interest (or need), or «for the soul».

The last one is a good option for parents. Furor will make a set of two (or 4-6) glasses of a well-known manufacturer. And to them - a bottle of still or sparkling wine, around which they have been «walking» in the store for a long time. The gift will be both pleasant and relevant.



Dishes - this is generally a great idea for a New Year's gift to relatives of the older generation. Grandma will surely be happy with a convenient frying pan or a plate for snacks. But if grandpa is present at the party, we'll have to pick up something especially for him. The latest «squeak of fashion» is a universal remote control to which you can «tie» most of the devices in the house. Nothing will be lost.

When choosing a gift for a brother or sister, rely on the person's interest. The idea of «for centuries» is a certificate to a store where a person will definitely buy something necessary. But show originality: if your sister plans to grow greens on the windowsill in the spring, give her a gift card to the store for gardeners (with appropriate verbal justification), and if your brother suddenly gets carried away with martial arts, give her a certificate to a store selling clothes for martial arts.



And it's quite simple with younger children, nephews. In the end, those who are fed up with «Lego» can find a worthy replacement that can cause puppy delight in the younger generation. If the child is a small aesthete, give him a projector for the room (starry sky, waves or beautiful drawings), and the «big» fidget will definitely please a modern board game based on famous movies or cartoons.
 
It is believed that such purchases give the same «once lost» New Year's mood. And there are no difficulties here – good gift ideas for the New Year to relatives come to mind almost instantly. You just have to think sincerely and warmly about a loved one and his desires.
 

Author: Sergey Zhuliev
Photo: editorial archive, Firestock