On New Year’s Eve, people around the world gather to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one. Families and friends celebrate by looking at fireworks, counting down to midnight, and watching the ball drop.
“I usually eat a big dinner first,” Kristi Allen, a fifth grader, said. “then, I watch the ball drop and stay up late, and we usually play games like board games.”
The ball drop is a New Year’s Eve tradition that happens in Times Square in New York City. A big, shiny ball slowly slides down a pole as everyone counts down the last seconds of the year. When the ball reaches the bottom at midnight, the new year begins, and people cheer, hug, and celebrate with confetti and music.
Hailey Ciavaglia, a fifth-grader, agrees that the ball drop is fun.
“I’m excited for the NYC ball drop because I get to watch it on TV, and we stay up late,” she said.
Ciavaglia said last year she spent New Year’s with music, dancing, and food. Many people stay up late to see the clock strike twelve and shout “Happy New Year!” Some also make New Year’s resolutions, which are goals they hope to work on in the coming year.
“My New Year’s Resolution is to read more books,” Ciavaglia said.
“My New Year’s Resolution is cleaning my room,” Demi Paradis, a sixth-grader, said. “I am very excited for the New Year”
