Not yet midnight: 2019 comes early for kids

● If parents need another reason for giving in to children’s demands for Netflix, New Year’s Eve provides it.

The streaming service has no fewer than 14 countdown clips to trick your children into thinking 2019 has arrived early, meaning you can put them to bed and either start partying or nod off yourself.

All the countdowns are based on Netflix children’s and family shows, such as All Hail King Julien, Pinky Malinky and Larva Island.

In his countdown clip, Boss Baby, the eponymous star of the popular show, says, “Tonight, we’re going to party like it’s four hours past our bedtime!” In fact, it’s likely to be viewers’ normal bedtime.

The company says that since it broadcast its first countdown in 2014, an average of five-million people have watched them every year on New Year’s Eve.

Around 77% of US parents with children aged three to 13 prefer to stay at home on New Year’s Eve, according to a Netflix survey last month, but only half allow their children to stay up until midnight.

A survey by British supermarket company Tesco found that 70% of people will stay at home on New Year’s Eve and almost half of them will spend “a quiet night in front of the telly”.

Meanwhile, the UK’s equivalent of Woolworths, Marks & Spencer, has launched a “New Year’s Eve special” of its “dine in” range of meals. For £20 (about R370) buyers get a starter, main, dessert, side dishes and alcohol.