You may have decided that it is not in your budget to take a trip to the movie theater as often as youd like to see the latest movie releases. A movie and snacks for a family of four can cost quite a big chunk of money, most especially if you do not go to a matinee or if you are seeing a 3D movie. If you really do want to go to the movies, save yourself a little bit of money and dont purchase snacks or drinks, go to the matinee viewing, look online for discounts or coupons, or join a rewards and points program with a movie theater chain to get discounted or free tickets.
If you do decide on a night in, there are plenty of places you can rent new dvd releases, recent releases or older movies that are family favorites. First, decide on what movie everyone wants to see. If you have younger children, there are several excellent movies in a cartoon format that are enjoyable for the whole family, even older kids who may at first have some eye-rolling over the thought of a cartoon. Some of our family favorites are Up, any of the Toy Story franchise, and the newly released Tangled.
If youre having a hard time deciding, first start off with choosing a theme. You can have a scary movie night, a comedy night or an action packed drama or thriller movie night. Once you pick a category it may be easier to narrow down a movie that everyone wants to see.
When youve settled on a movie, get everyone to pitch in and help set up your living room for your movie night. Have the kids bring down their pillows and blankets so they can stay warm and camp out on the floor. Bring in extra chairs or move your furniture around to give a theater-like feel to the room. Grab some extra special treats for everyone: many stores carry movie size boxes of treats. Let everyone pick out their favorite candy and then pick up some movie butter style popcorn to share. If you have the time, look around online for some cups with lids and some bags to serve popcorn in. You can also use brown paper bags to serve popcorn (be sure you recycle the bags!) or purchase the red and white striped plastic containers that look like popcorn bags for added fun.
For more fun, have everyone dress up in line with the theme of your movie. Dress up as a themed character or a character from the movie. If youre feeling extra adventurous, decorate your living room to go along with the theme of the movie. Make some snacks and title them after the movie, like balloon shaped cookies to munch during Up.
When its time for the movie, make sure there are places for everyone to set their snacks and drinks so they wont get spilled on accident. Double check the battery remotes and pop your movie into the dvd player!