Amy’s cool New Year’s facts

Ah yes, once again it's time to know some fun facts about the holiday.

First of all, my best wishes to you and your loved ones for a healthy and joyous 2015.

Below are some fun holiday facts that I've dug up about New Year's Day.

*  New Year's day is the oldest of all the holidays.  Historians have traced it back 4000 years to Babylon.

*  Most New Year's traditions are supposed to bring good luck for the coming year.  Here's a few.

*  People in parts of the U.S. eat black-eyed peas today for good luck.

*  In Italy, it's a tradition to wear red underwear on the first day of the year.

*  On New Year's eve Spaniards eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight.  Each grape signifies 12 happy months for the new year.

*  Ancient Persians gave eggs as a gift on New Year's.  The eggs symbolized productiveness.

*  It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good or bad luck for the new year.  My advice, be very careful today when you answer the door.

*  Using a baby to signify the New Year began in Greece around 600 B.C.

*  Fireworks and noise-making on New Year's Eve goes back to ancient times.  Fire and noise were thought to rid evil spirits and bring good luck.

*  The first time they lowered the ball in Times Square was on December 31st, 1907.

*  The original ball was made of iron.  It weighed 700 pounds with 100 25 watt light bulbs.

*  The ball that was used last night weighs almost 12,000 pounds and is made of Waterford Crystal.

As is customary, many people make resolutions for the New Year. They tend to stay fairly similar fro year to year.  Here are the top 10.

1.  Lose weight

2.  Eat more healthy

3.  Exercise more

4.  Stop smoking

5.  Stick to a budget

6.  Save money

7.  Get more organized

8.  Be more patient

9.  Be less "chained" to the mobile device

10.  Be a better person overall.

Happy New Year everyone!