15 + Ideas for Celebrating New Year's Eve at Home

Our usual New Year plans include a big family house party on NYE followed by Steve and I going to our local pubs on New Year's Day and the kids go to their grandparents and usually visit the beach / have a cosy night in. Obviously this won't be happening this year and to be honest, I am not even sure I want to celebrate 2020 or 2020 ending when it looks like it is just going to be more of the same next year. 

Looking for a 2021/22 New Years Eve with Kids Guide? Click here to read my fully updated post. 




However, the kids absolutely love New Year and staying up late so I want to make it a bit of an occasion for them still and it is nice to have something to look forward to. I asked on Social Media for a few ideas to make the night a little more special at home and have added a few of my own ideas too. 

How to enjoy a festive weekend in Ouseburn

I will start this post by saying that we all have our own levels of what we are comfortable doing right now. For me, we are staying at home and isolating as much as we can from now until Christmas as we plan on mixing with another household but I know many are sticking with their own households over the festive period and are looking for places they can visit over the festive period. Every family is different. 

How to access FREE magazines and books with Amazon Prime

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My love-hate relationship with Amazon 

Lots of people hate Amazon. I have been there too and even boycotted them for a while. The fact that they don't pay much tax here in the UK and make it tough for smaller businesses to compete is annoying. But, I have made my peace with them now. Amazon pay all of the taxes they are legally obliged to - I feel like we should focus our anger at the Government for allowing loopholes and lobby for change if we want to be proactive about this. 

Ignite Light Trail at Gibside : Review & Top Tips

 Ad - We were provided with press tickets but have not been asked or paid to write this post. 

Ignite at Gibside is an evening trail of lights, fantasy and fire. It is different to a normal day out at Gibside and not included with regular day admission - you need to book tickets seperately. The trail runs in the evenings from 11-30 December 2020 with the best availability for tickets available post-Boxing Day. This post is based on our visit on opening night - Friday 11 December 2020. Our visit was at 4:30pm. 

How to Create a DIY S'mores Station

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Grazing tables are all the rage at the moment and I spotted a few versions on offer over Bonfire night which looked brilliant. I know a lot of effort goes into these and I don't begrudge their pricing but for me personally, I can't bring myself to pay circa £40 for something I could create myself (not exactly on the same scale) for a fraction of the price. 

A S'mores station is a brilliant idea for a winter's evening when you fancy doing something a little different. The kids love it, they taste great and it is a good alternative to another night in front of the TV.

Lost Found and Told : Modern Fairy Tales for Northumberland

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You may remember that last year, we watched November Club perform 'A Night of New Fairytales' in a community centre in Blyth. It was a brilliant evening with traditional fairy tales being given a modern (and Northumberland) twist. It was nice to watch a theatrical performance and recognise the places mentioned, the accents spoken and to have the North East at the very centre of the story (you can read my full review from that evening here). 

Times have been tough for local theatre during the pandemic and November Club are no different. They are a registered charity with their prime purpose being to engage local communities and create original performances about people and places. 

They really are fantastic and have won awards for their work so I am delighted that they have been able to pivot (apologies for using the cliché word of the moment) and have been able bring their work and creativity into our homes instead. 

30+ FREE & Fun Walking Trails for Kids across North East England

Walking with kids is always easier with an incentive or something for them to do along the way so today I thought I would share 30+ free and fun walking trails across North East England. They all involve sculptures to find / a route to follow with things to find and are completely free.