New Year's Eve with kids might feel as wild as those pre-children celebrations with sugar highs and post-holiday excitement. You're just likely celebrating it a bit earlier in the day. I know when my kids were little I wanted to ring in the coming year, but also be asleep well before midnight. (Let's be honest—I still want to be in bed before midnight).

When my now teenagers were a baby and a toddler, we attended the very first Noon Yards Eve. It's grown and become the premier DC event for kids to celebrate the new year. I can't recommend it enough.

But this isn't the only incredible event. Check out early celebrations at Shipgarten or the B&O Railroad Museum. Families with older kids might enjoy nighttime parties like the popular First Night Alexandria or the new New Year's Eve Drone & Fireworks Show in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Still clinging to Christmas? Most holiday light shows in the area are open on New Year's Eve, or you can get tickets to a holiday performance before they end their seasonal runs. Happy New Year!

This December is filled with sparkles and merriment, from holiday lights and parades to menorah lightings and New Year's Eve events.

You've seen our round-up of must-do Christmas events and holiday activities, and you may have purchased tickets to a holiday show or a Christmas light display. Now I'm going to tell you about events this month that aren't on those lists.

Imagination Stage's Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood opens mid-month and runs until early February 2025. My kids have always loved this theater's productions, and I can't recommend them enough.

And the Udvar-Hazy Center is hosting a family day about Rocket Blasts and Star Bursts. I don't know about your kids, but explosions are super exciting to mine.

And when this year closes, so do two immersive experiences. Dopamine Land: A Multisensory Experience closes December 29 and Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures closes December 31.

We have so many more great events listed below for your family in December, but don't forget to check our family activity calendar every day, as we're always adding more events.