Breathing Life into NYE [PHOTOS]

I am proud to say I have never been away from my family on New Year's Eve. However, the celebration has toned down in an alarming way over the last few years. 

I have fond memories of my parents and relatives staying awake, playing cards, until the early morning hours of January 1. Today, though, I'd be lucky to see most of my family members survive until the ball drops.

The reason is obvious; my family is getting older. I guess I just don't want to face that fact. That's why I am attempting to bring some life back to the celebration.

On Saturday night, for 90 minutes, I will be hosting a game night at my sister's house. For a price of $3, adults can join and be eligible to win some pretty good prizes (gift cards, lottery tickets, music/movies).

There are four games on the agenda, and the planning has kept me awake quite late the past few nights.

1. Match Game

2. Wheel of Fortune

3. Don't Forget the Lyrics

4. LCR (addicting dice game)

My hope is my family will truly enjoy this addition and want it included each year. If that happens, New Year's Eve would, again, be something that everyone in my family looks forward to...not just a forced night of small talk and finger foods.

Saturday will be a calmer version of what I have created in the past. I've hosted three "official" game nights at my house, featuring a printed schedule, an official scoreboard and hundreds of dollars in prizes. It was easy to please the crowd, though, because they purposely came to my house for game night alone. This time around, I'm pretty much begging people to give it a shot.

Wish me luck!