New Year’s Eve is prime party time for some. It’s cozy family time for others. Or it’s just any other day for those with an early bedtime.
But what do the youngest of us think of the night? Do they stay up until midnight? Do they party with friends? Do they travel or stay home?
The Sun-Times wanted answers to these burning questions, so a reporter and photographer visited Brentano Math and Science Academy in Logan Square this month to get the scoop.
Standing outside among the hectic morning arrival, with kids buzzing around with the holidays in the air, a few of the city’s youngest revelers took a few moments to share their thoughts.
Ayden Cocom, 8, third grade
Ayden’s New Year’s Eve might mirror that of a lot of adults: He’s going to light the fireplace and drink wine.
But he has no illusions about the sparkling wine his mom gives him: “It’s for kids.”
While the night sounds relaxing enough to put anyone to sleep, Ayden says that isn’t the case for him. He’s sure he’ll be up until midnight.
“It’s really easy,” he says.
And he’s already looking beyond the night to the new year. He isn’t quite excited to get back to school, but he is ready for something else: “Having fun,” he says.
For Ayden, that means playing the game Roblox with his sister.
“Be with my family,” he says of his other likely 2024 activities. “Have fun. … Play soccer.”
Londyn Z., 5, kindergarten
New Year’s Eve is all about playing games for Londyn.
“Zombies” is one, she says. “We gotta hide from the zombies under the invisible blanket.”
Then there’s hide-and-seek with her mom.
“I like playing in snow,” Londyn says, before whispering to Mother Nature asking for snow this year.
And there’s her toy bear.
Wait, it’s a toy, right?
“It’s a fluffy bear, and a real bear with an outfit on,” she says.
The whole celebrating New Year’s at midnight deal isn’t Londyn’s cup of tea.
“That’s a thing I don’t like,” she says. “Because that’s not my favorite.”
Max Shupe, 9, third grade
If other people want to get to bed and have a quiet night, that’s fine with Max. But that won’t be his night.
“I’m gonna party,” he says of his New Year’s Eve plan, standing with a red Pokémon binder in his hands to go with his red Chicago Bulls hat.
What exactly will that look like? That’s a good question.
“Umm, what are we gonna do, Dad?” he looks up and asks his father.
It turns out Max’s family will be at the neighbor’s house for the evening celebration.
Looking forward to 2024, Max says, “I’m excited if there’s gonna be some new stuff.”
“Floating trains” is one possibility of new stuff in 2024, he says. “Cars that drive by itself” are another. Will he be the one inventing these?
“Probably,” he says.
Yailani Rodriguez, 8, third grade
Yailani is a homebody. She’ll be hanging with her family for New Year’s Eve, playing “a lot of board games.” She wishes it would snow so she could play in it with her brother. But most important is “just having your family,” she says.
They also have a special activity for the holiday.
“I go with my family, and I go and see sometimes they have balloons up in the air,” Yailani says. But she can’t recall where the family goes to see these balloons.
But that’s as crazy as things get for Yailani. Sometimes she stays up until midnight, but usually she doesn’t make it.
“I get tired,” she says. “Sometimes me and my mom bake cookies. And my dad and my brother taste it.”
Is Yailani excited about the new year or planning anything fun?
“No, not really,” she says. “Just stay home.”
Josie Raffonti Stonehouse, 7, second grade
Josie is a girl with big plans and dreams.
In 2024, she wants to get better at musical theater. She likes to sing.
“I wanted to audition for the play, but I didn’t think I practiced enough, so I just didn’t,” Josie says. “The musical was ‘Mary Poppins.’ I wanted to do ‘Spoonful of Sugar,’ but I didn’t practice enough. I wanted to do the whistling.”
She also has something big to look forward to.
“My birthday is coming up,” she says, while shivering because it’s a cold December morning outside. “It’s July 11.”
“I’m a little sad because it’s not in the school year,” she adds, commiserating with a reporter who also has a summer birthday about never getting birthday cupcakes in school.
But before Josie’s imminent birthday, there’s a new year to celebrate.
“Last year I had a sleepover with my grandparents. Are we gonna have that again?” she asks her mom, who confirms the plans and adds, “Mom and Dad are going out.”
“Yes!” Josie celebrates.
“I get to stay up until 12 o’clock,” she says. “My mom did this thing when she was a kid. She had pans and pots and she banged them together and said happy New Year’s Eve. And I think I’m gonna do that this year.”
But will that be at midnight?
No, Josie says. She’ll fall asleep by then, so most likely it’ll be “at 11 o’clock.”
Gaby Patino, 11, fifth grade
Gaby is planning to continue her tradition of visiting family in Mexico for the holidays.
“We’re just gonna see our family and relax there,” she says. “I’m just excited to stay with my family and hang out with them. … I’ll probably play some games with them, and then we’ll probably play outside with the dogs because they have a lot of dogs.”
She’ll also keep up her habit of staying up until midnight. But that won’t be an easy switch to flip.
“I’m really used to my schedule now because we’re going to school, so we have to go to sleep at like 9 maybe,” Gaby says. “[But] there’s going to be fireworks, and it’s going to be kind of hard to sleep.”
Even though they’re a nuisance, Gaby likes fireworks. They’re “very pretty and enjoyable,” she says.
Gaby has her sights set on 2024 with some important goals.
“I really want to be more of a role model on other people to help them out,” Gaby says. “And I would also be excited for school because I like school. The thing is, I don’t like waking up early.
“Helping other people out, being a good student and enjoying being a kid,” she reiterates. “Because once I grow up, it’s going to be harder.”
