There's no doubt that the best and most festive way to celebrate the arrival of the new year is watching the ball drop in Times Square in New York City, but we all know that keeping little ones up until midnight will make for a very rough start to the new year!

Luckily for families on the West Coast, the major news stations air coverage from Times Square at 9 p.m. EST, so families can join in on the fun without having to stay awake so late. Use today to take down your Christmas decorations — if you haven't already — and put up some New Year's Eve decor! Cover plain party hats with glitter by spraying them with spray glue and then letting the kids go to town sprinkling glitter on them (may we suggest doing this in the garage?). Prepare for the big countdown by making paper poppers that can be filled with confetti — use a toilet paper roll and wrap it in a couple sheets of tissue paper, closing the ends with curling ribbon.

Remember all those friends that you used to spend New Year's Eve with, pre-kids? Well, now that you're all in the same parenting boat, there's no reason why you still can't get together to celebrate the new year! Invite them all over with their kids and throw a big, family-friendly New Year's Eve bash, complete with champagne... and juice boxes. Tell your friends to bring pajamas for the kids and set up movies, popcorn and sleeping bags for the little ones so that everyone can stay as late as possible.

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