Washington County Weekend Post

GMTODAY.COM SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2019 • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • 3A New Year's Eve is one of the most festive nights of the year. Counting down to a new year while simulta- neously saying goodbye to the current year provides grounds for celebration for millions of people across the globe. New Year's celebrations vary depending on where the partying is taking place, but it's common for people to check their inhi- bitions at the door on December 31. That can make for a fun evening, but also puts celebrants in jeop- ardy of making bad deci- sions or confronting the consequences of others' poor decisions. Adhering to three simple safety strategies can increase the chances that this New Year's Eve is memorable for all the right reasons. 1. Travel in packs. Most people who are out and about on New Year's Eve are focused solely on having fun. However, some criminals see New Year's Eve as an opportunity to prey on unsuspecting men and women who may not be as alert to danger as they are on other nights of the year. For example, a recent report from Aus- tralia's Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found that the number of violent offenses between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on New Year's Eve is nine times higher than it is on other nights of the year. By hit- ting the town with friends and staying with those friends throughout the night, New Year's Eve rev- elers can make themselves less vulnerable to crimi- nals. 2. Don't overindulge in alcohol. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administra- tion notes that people who consume alcohol begin experiencing a loss of judg- ment when their blood alco- hol concentration, or BAC, reaches .02. That means it only takes a relatively small amount of alcohol before people's judgment begins to falter, and judg- ment only suffers further with each additional drink. The pressure to over- indulge in alcohol on New Year's Eve can be consider- able, but revelers should avoid situations where they might be tempted to drink too much. Such overindul- gence only makes people vulnerable to bad decisions and even criminals looking to prey on inebriated victims. 3. Don't get behind the wheel. Even people who avoid alcohol on New Year's Eve are vulnerable to potential- ly unsafe highways. That's because everyone shares the roads, and drivers never know who else will be on the road when New Year's Eve festivities end and everyone goes home. The U.S. Department of Transportation notes that, over the last half-decade, and average of 300 people died each year in drunk driving crashes in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. To avoid becoming such a statistic, New Year's revelers can cel- ebrate at home and invite others to stay overnight. New Year's Eve is a fun but potentially dangerous night. However, a few sim- ple safety strategies can make sure New Year's Day conversations are all about the fun from the night before. 3 strategies for enjoying a safe New Year's Eve New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are a time to both reflect on the past year and to look forward to the excitement the months ahead will bring. There may be confetti, there are probably noisemakers and some bubbly is likely over- flowing from champagne flutes. New Year's celebrations can be traced back thou- sands of years to ancient Babylon. And as with many holidays with deep histo- ries, traditions are the hall- mark of many New Year's celebrations. While many people perform these tradi- tions by rote, it can be interesting to delve into the history behind various components of New Year's celebrations. Champagne Toasting the new year with a sparkling wine can be traced back to French champagne producers. Champagne, a sparkling wine from a specific region of France, was used in the baptism of the Frankish warrior Clovis, according to the Champagne Commit- tee of France. Soon, cham- pagne became a key part of religious events, corona- tions and soirees — as well as secular rituals that replaced formerly religious rituals, according to the book "When Champagne Became French" by Kolleen Guy. Champagne manufac- turers eventually linked the bubbly to festive occa- sions with family, and New Year's celebrations became another ideal time to pop the cork on a bottle. Ball drop While not everyone can venture to New York City's famed Times Square to watch the ball drop in per- son, millions tune in around the world to watch it on television. Original celebrations in New York centered around listening to the bells of Trinity Church ring at midnight, but the New Year's Eve cel- ebrations were later moved to the New York Times building in 1904. Fireworks were part of those cele- brations, but hot ash and sparks falling on specta- tors led to a ban on fire- works, and event organiz- ers needed another specta- cle to draw crowds, according to PBS. Publish- er Adolph Ochs asked his chief electrician Walter Palmer to create some- thing visually appealing. Inspired by the maritime tradition of dropping a time ball at harbor so that sailors could set their own timepieces while at sea, Palmer devised the idea of dropping an illuminated ball on New Year's Eve. This has been tradition since 1907. Resolutions New Year's resolutions can be traced to the Mesopotamians. Ancient Babylonians also made spoken resolutions during a 12-day-long New Year Festival. These resolutions were oaths made to the sit- ting or new king and were considered essential to keeping the kingdom in the gods' favor. The Romans also had a similar tradition of swearing oath to royalty at the start of the year. Many of these traditions merged into modern reso- lution-making, according to Live Science. These are but a few New Year's traditions. The histo- ry behind these traditions is storied, just like the holi- day itself. The history behind popular New Year's traditions Don't panic. When you go to the trouble of planning a big sale, don't forget to place an ad in the Washington County Post. Our experienced, award-winning Account Executives will help you design an ad that will bring you outstanding results. Call our office today and experience the power of the Washington County Post. Washington County • 262-306-5000 ADVERTISING ASSISTANCE We can We can

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