King Julien's NYE Countdown
Whether you plan on ringing in the new year at midnight or not, not every parent is cool with letting their offspring stay up until 2015 makes an appearance — especially parents of young kids who will wake up at 6 a.m. no matter what time they go to bed. If you're not interested in watching your youngins bounce off the walls all night long as you wait for the clock to strike midnight, you can celebrate it early with the help of King Julien.
A brand new countdown, featuring the lovable king of the lemurs from the Madagascar franchise, is available on Netflix starting today. You can look at it as a shifty trick to make your kids think that it really is midnight, or you can think of it as a way to shuffle them off to bed at their regular time after doing an early celebration just for them. Either way, I can't believe that this hasn't been done before — a simple clip parents can stream whenever they want so their kids think they're staying up until midnight.
Since it gets dark so early anyway, set up a little party for your kids after dinner, make a big fuss about the countdown, take plenty of pics and then pop them into bed. They will go to bed none the wiser, and if they can't read a clock anyway, you have nothing to lose — and adorable memories will be made.
More on the new year
11 Ways to have a family-friendly New Year's Eve party
Having kids is no reason to let your health go
10 Nostalgic holiday activities to do with kids