Countdown 2011 - Three days to go

In just three days, under 72 hrs we will be saying bye bye to another year. Most people are planning to celebrate the arrival of the new year by attending parties, midnight drinking binges, dancing the night away, etc. What is the big deal about New Year, I still don't understand. Except for changing calendars, what else happens on January 1? Government's don't change; fiscal policies remain the same; elections don't take place; nothing changes in the solar system or in the universe. The earth continues to revolve around the sun. Sometimes I think New Year is just another excuse for people to party and for corporations to sell stuff in the name of new year. Then there is the New Year resolutions, most people in America resolve to exercise more and lose weight in the next 12 months. Who gets to benefit most from this resolution? The people who make and stick to the resolution benefit the most, no doubt, but they are not the ones who derive maximum benefit. Gyms, health clubs, personal trainers, coaches, sports clubs, nutritional supplement manufacturers and sellers, etc are the one's who make the real money at this time of year. People who wish to lose weight sign up for memberships to all these places and buy products, services that they hope will help them lose weight and attain a beautiful body - high school slim - that is what they call. I don't know when humans will give up this frenzy of event-based lifestyles and live according to what they need and when they need.