New York City is hoping for wisdom this New Year's Eve.
That's the new theme on the giant crystal ball that's set to drop over Times Square at midnight
Friday night.
Waterford Crystal is adding a pinwheel motif to the glittering ball to symbolize "hope for wisdom."
The company says the design recognizes one of mankind's first and most important discoveries -- the wheel.
That design will sit next to others put on the ball in recent years, including "hope for healing",
"hope for courage" and "hope for unity."
But those crystal patterns may be hard to make out from several stories below. What people in Times
Square will surely see, however, is the massive lighting display that illuminates the ball.
Workers are getting ready to put up 696 large light bulbs, but first they plan to finish piecing
together the one-thousand crystals that make up the international New Year's symbol.
This celebration annually stuffs more than half a million excited celebrants (85 percent of them
from outside New York) into just a few blocks surrounding One Times Square. The former home of the New York Times is now better
known for its once-a-year role as the drop site for the illuminated thousand-pound Waterford Crystal ball, which starts promptly
at 11:59pm. Begun in 1907, the tradition has become a symbol of welcoming in the new year--and an excuse to party in the streets
amid confetti and pyrotechnics.
The ball is visible on Broadway between 34th and 53rd streets and on Seventh Avenue between 43rd
and 59th streets. Arrive early and dress warmly; good spots go fast. Giant Panasonic screens around Times Square will be displaying
the festivities, but if you'd wanted to watch it all on TV, you could've stayed at home. Just
remember though, you don't need a crystal ball to see the future. Just look at the world around you and read the word of God..
All the answers to our future is there, not in some crystal ball!
