Apocalypse Eve

I'm spending New Year's Eve at my sister's house, where I'm told some sort of yearly tradition of revelry shall take place. They tried to explain something that sounded a bit apocalyptic. I guess they spend the night watching the end of civilization on television. Like anyone preparing for the end of the world as we know it, they spend the evening drinking heavily and trying to feign a good time.

A few seconds before midnight, they watch this monstrous ball come tumbling down from a skyscraper. They're so certain it will land and kill all the people that they start counting it down. When they get to zero and the ball stops, they're all so happy that they start singing and kissing each other. It's really pretty amazing people do it every year.