Happy New Year

I was watching an online video of all the New York City New Year's ball drops from 1976 through 2012, and it occurred to me that the idea of the "New Year" is completely arbitrary. Why at midnight? Why January 1? (It hasn't always been.)

Many people place such significance on that one moment as the old passes and the new arrives. But it isn't really more significant than any other moment. Does that make the New Year less special? What if every moment felt like that? How exhausting.