It’s New Year’s Eve. I know I should be excited about this (and I am definitely looking forward to a friend’s party tonight), but I’ve always struggled to find meaning in this particular holiday.

It’s not like we’re celebrating a specific event—like the 4^th of July or the resurrection. We’re not celebrating a honored person—such as George Washington, or St. Valentine. We’re not even marking an astronomical event. The winter solstice was ten days ago on December 21.

Rather, our celebration is based purely on the calendar being what it is. So, why do we celebrate January 1 as the start of a new year?

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