It’s 4:00 p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona, Happy New Year! In Germany, New Year’s Eve is known as Silvester (because December 31st is the feast day of St. Silvester, who was the pope credited with converting Emperor Constantine in the 4th century), and for Caroline and me, 4:00 p.m. is when we celebrate the new year. You see, Frankfurt, all of Germany for that matter, comes alive as revelers endure the cold out on the street until the bells start to ring for midnight and the crowds lose themselves in a riot of fireworks and noise. For the next 30 minutes, the fireworks will continue to sound out across the country. This tradition goes all the way back to pre-Christian times when there was a fear that Wotan and his demons could cause trouble during the dark days between December 25th and January 5th. This was called the “Wild Hunt,” and making lots of fire and noise was thought to keep the wild ones at bay. In years past, we’d call my mother-in-law Jutta just before midnight her time so she could open a window and share the sound of the city with us, along with a running commentary about the colors and height of the displays; this was our tradition for nearly a quarter century. While Caroline talked with her mom again this New Year’s Eve (same procedure as every year), there’s no getting her to move over to the window, phone in hand, anymore. No matter, we will forever celebrate Silvester at 4:00 p.m. and remember how often we’d enjoy the excitement of Caroline’s mom describing what she was seeing as we listened to the explosions, whistles, and church bells ringing. Happy Silvester, everyone!