Planning for New Year's Eve

For the past several years we have spent New Year's Eve at a hotel with friends.  The kids all swim, we play games, eat a ton of food and watch the ball drop.  On New Year's Day we would head to Lake George for the Polar Plunge - swimming in the icy lake!  Well, for many different reasons we are not going this year so we need to create some new traditions.  

I am starting to plan what we will do on New Year's Eve this year.  Would love to get some input, suggestions or other ideas. Here are my ideas so far (background info - 5 kids age range 3-13 years old and I am a cheapskate):
1.  Go to movies - I have a gift card!
2.  Maybe a food cook off challenge for dinner - two teams same ingredients with judges to see who make the best meal
3.  Fill out our Reflections on 2013 page (we do this every year)
4.  Board games or poker
5.  Chocolate fondue station - received it as a Christmas gift, can not wait to use it
6.  Maybe try an International tradition - race to buy lucky underwear in the mall (Italians say red brings luck, Mexicans say yellow brings happiness and Filipinos say dots to attract money) So maybe first one to find red underwear with yellow dots you win a prize!

My main goal is not to fall asleep before Midnight and to have FUN!  What are your New Year's Eve traditions or goals?

Tickets Please

Looking for a cheap idea to add to your pretend play? Buy a roll of tickets from the office store. We have had rolls of these in the house through the years and the kids love them. They create some lovely open ended creative play. Here is what my kids have used them for without any adult suggestions:

1.  Admission to dance shows they put on. 

2.  Admission to art museum they created. 

3.  Pretend money. 

4.  Tickets to use at homemade spa.

5.  Tickets to redeem for prizes at homemade carnival. 

6.  Homemade raffle type games or to pick names out of a hat. 

Great "toy" to add for imaginative play for various ages.