While the pandemic outside is frightful, spending time at home is quite delightful. And since we’ve got no safe place to go, let’s stay home, let’s stay home, let’s stay home. 

But can New Year’s Eve be exciting and memorable while stuck at home? Here are four safe and fun activities to keep spirits high and COVID risks low.

4) Watching the Times Square Ball Drop

Annually since 1907, the Times Square ball drops in New York City to commemorate the new year. The event has hosted many esteemed guests such as former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to superstar Taylor Swift. The ball drop has something for everyone: suspense, music, celebrities, and fireworks. All one has to do is to get your TV set ready and turn on any news channel. Watching this historic, famous event is a surefire way to get anyone into the New Year’s spirit. 

3) “Auld Lang Syne” Sing-along

A time-honored New Year tradition is the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.” So, in 2020, why not keep it going? What you’ll need is simple, a phone or anything else that you can use to look at the music and lyrics, along with anything that can be used to play the music. Once you are ready, you could call extended family and commence singing with them, you could sing it just with your own household, or you could even record yourself singing it and then share it with others. 

2) Play Games as a Family

The idea is pretty simple. Every hour, starting at 6 PM and ending at midnight, have an activity ready to do. To add an element of surprise, write ideas on small pieces of paper that would then be revealed through a drawing from a hat or the popping of a balloon. Some ideas for activities could be to play a board game, card game, or video game; you could choose to sing or write songs together, or play a music based game; or you could create art, New Year’s resolutions, or other crafts. The scope of combinations are boundless.

1) Plan a Zoom call with friends and/or family

With 2020 barring many moments to be with extended family and friends, many long to be together once again. With COVID-19 cases surging across the nation, however, to have large gatherings would put everyone in grave danger. But that doesn’t mean one can’t ‘see’ them. The year of 2020 has also brought great technological advancements in programs such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, and more. With these video chat programs, one could once again see and interact with family and friends. What’s even better is that the idea listed before, “Play Games as a Family,” could be incorporated using this medium.