Grown-Ups Do The Darndest Things

Today at work I asked a 6 year-old kid what his family's plans were for New Year's. You know, making small talk with the kids is my specialty. Anyway, he asked, "Why do we do stuff on New Year's?" So we talked about how the calendar worked and that going from December to January is a big deal.

"I know all that," he said, "But why do we celebrate it?"

I was silenced for a change. "I have no fucking clue why we celebrate it," is what I wanted to say. Instead I told him, "It's like celebrating your birthday, only we're celebrating 2004's birthday."

This was a terrible explanation and not logical. We'd have to be celebrating the equivalent of January's birthday for my explanation to have parallel logic. But he seemed satisfied with my answer or (more likely) bored with the topic and we moved on to bigger and better things, like how the Spurs rule and the Timberwolves drool.

So the kid moved on, but I could not. How the hell did New Year's celebrations originate? Click here for a dutiful uninspiring answer to this question. Why does it cross cultures? And what's the best way to explain to a 6 year-old why we make such a big deal out of New Year's Day? Or, more aptly, how do you explain to six year-old why, on Decemeber 31st, grown-ups will drink so much they act like 6 year-olds?

Damn, do I have a challenging job!

By the way, Emily and I are going to a wedding celebration tomorrow night for New Year's Eve. How cool is that? Then I'm off to San Francisco, bright and early on New Year's Day to visit with some college friends. Word.