NYE & NYD at HOME with the FAM | What We Do, Eat & Wear

I hope you’ve had a wonderful few days with your family! We “played” with our gifts, took Becca for a quick overnight to see our loft and explore Waco, watched some football, and shopped some of the after-Christmas sales. You can see my complete listing of the sales in HERE. (Many of them are still going!)

I’m so looking forward to NYE this year! We are bringing in Cantina Laredo for a fajita dinner, playing games and puzzles, and then opening Christmas presents with Connor and Abby, who arrive on Sunday evening.

Our family is all about NYE at HOME. Yep, that’s right. We always have a pajama party and do it up right. Today, I’m letting you in on what we wear, what we do, and even how we spend New Year’s Day.

NYE at HOME Attire

Let’s be real; most of us are only wearing pajamas or loungewear between Christmas & New Year’s Day if we can help it! A few years ago, my mother-in-law christened that week “the week between the years,” and it’s been known as that in our family ever since!

When it comes to our NYE & NYD celebrations, Pajamas or Loungewear are mandatory attire for us. As an empty nester, I spend more time in my jammies than I ever used to when I was running around to kids’ activities. Do you do that too? Sometimes, I get into my jammies around 4 p.m.!

At least I’ve upgraded my pajama game by tossing all of my tired and worn pajamas and replacing them. If you need to do that, now is a perfect time because everything is on sale! Nordstrom is having their big Half-Yearly Sale right now, and they have lots of yummy jammies and loungewear at significant savings. All of the ones I’ve linked below are on sale (plus lots more). I especially love anything by Barefoot Dreams, and it’s such a good deal right now!

Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Ultra Lite Knit Set (nearly sold out) | Similar sets HERE or HERE. | Ugg Slippers | Bubble Initial Necklace (on sale!)

In 2024, I discovered a couple of new favorite spots for loungewear this year! One is Haven Well Within (take 30% off one item with code JANUARY right now)! ⬇️

Haven Organic Cotton Blend Cable Sweater (limited size availability) Consider THIS Haven Cable Cocoon Cardigan as an alternative. | Haven Organic Cotton Blend Ribbed Joggers | Haven Sherpa Mules

The other is Cozy Earth, which is famous for being Oprah’s favorite spot for loungewear and bedding! They’re offering 25% off sitewide right now, but they’ve generously offered Empty Nest Blessed readers a whopping 40% off instead! 😲 Amazing! Use code CE-EMPTYNEST at checkout to get that exclusive deal!

Cozy Earth – Search “City Scape Crewneck & Sweatpant Set” to find this in a bunch of colors!

Also, you’ll want to check out the jammies and loungewear are from Soma. (They’re also having their Semi-Annual Sale right now, with sleep styles starting at $19.99!) Their Cool Nights PJs are designed to keep women of a certain age cool at night. They are incredibly soft, and the quality is always fantastic

NYE at HOME Activities

For our NYE at Home Pajama Party, we always have a puzzle going. (This one and this one are real crowd pleasers!) We work on it a little at a time and usually don’t finish it until the next day. Games are always fun, and y’all know we’re obsessed with the game LCR!

The great thing about LCR is that it’s a game of chance, so there’s no skill involved. (Translation: No arguing!) The big secret to this game?  Play with real money! (Don’t panic, only $3 per person.) We play anytime we get together with extended family and it’s always a huge hit. My sister’s family is really into Telestrations, so I just bought that for us to have for the future.

I’ve also heard that Speak Out is hilarious. Our other long-standing favorite is Taboo. Last year, my 80-something-year-old parents had my sister, brother-in-law, and their three teenagers, and they said Headbanz was super fun! I’d love to know what your favorite family games are! Please leave me a comment and give me your recs!

Other Ideas for NYE at HOME

Some years, we’ve worked an enthusiastic karaoke session into our evening, and last year we mixed it up with a game that my friend recommended called Spontuneous. Of course, a good set of silly hats, noisemakers, and plastic leis is a must for midnight revelry.

Want a quieter night? I love the movie New Year’s Eve, which came out in 2011. It features a bunch of your favorite stars in a mash-up story about various New Year’s Eve experiences that intersect in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. I watch it every year between Christmas and New Year’s Eve!

NYD at HOME is DIP DAY

New Year’s Day is our annual family Dip Day. That basically means that we whip up about five different dips, and we eat (nothing but) dip the whole day while watching copious amounts of football. I am not kidding you. To paint the picture for you—there is a lot of Velveeta involved, along with massive amounts of cream cheese, and of course, Fritos.

Please don’t be confused. It is not for the faint of heart! (And I mean that literally.) We do not mess around with a bunch of wussy veggies on this particular day. My little 1.5 qt. Dip Warmer (affectionately known as The Little Dipper at our house) is a must for making everyone’s favorite queso and keeping it warm.

Suzy’s Super-Easy Queso

1 lb. block of Velveeta cheese
(In an effort to save our arteries, I’ve switched to 2% Velveeta, and so far no one has noticed!)
1 can Wolf brand Lean Beef Chili (no beans)
(I tried to switch to turkey chili a few years ago, but there was a massive revolt!)
Fritos
(One year, I attempted to substitute baked tortilla chips for the Fritos, and it did not go well for me. 😂)

Cut the cheese block into cubes and place it into the dip warmer (It will take about 30 minutes to be ready to eat). Add canned chili. Stir occasionally with a spatula. That is it. Yes, really. It is fantastic.

I’d love to know what you have planned for New Year’s Eve! Are you going out or spending NYE at HOME with the FAM? Please leave me a comment below and let me know! I’d also love to know what your favorite family games are. We need some new ones!

Black Long Sleeve “Underscrubs” Tee (I have the best source for these tees in all colors! They are the tees favored by frontline healthcare workers, so they hold up well, are inexpensive, and come in tons of colors!) | Gold Sequin Bomber Jacket | Sparkly Crystal Drop Earrings | Necklace Stack: Gold CZ Pendant Necklace – Open Frame Crystal Pendant Necklace – Sparkly Paperclip Chain Link Necklace

As 2024 draws to a close, I want to thank you all for reading and following Empty Nest Blessed! I am so honored to share this little corner of the Interwebs with you, and I love getting to know you and having the opportunity to share my life with you. I can’t tell you how often I feel like pinching myself because this is my job! You all make that possible, and I’m so grateful!

Thank you for your comments, suggestions, and encouragement this year. They mean so much to me! Although things may look a little bit different in 2025, I pledge to do my best to bring you more content that is encouraging, inspiring, fun, engaging, and, most of all, a blessing. If there is something you especially want me to investigate, share, or bring you this year, please let me know in the comments, okay? That would be such a help to me!

I don’t want you to miss a thing, so if you aren’t signed up for my email list, I hope you’ll consider it. I typically send emails two or three times a week, telling you about blog posts and good deals, and encouraging you along the way 😊. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up HERE or in the box below this post.

As we close out on 2024, I know you share my heart of gratitude for this precious empty nester season of life. We’re in it together, my sweet friends! Hugs to you all, and Happy New Year! xoxo