As you probably already guessed, the New Year’s celebration wasn’t always held at the stroke of midnight on December 31. Timekeepers weren’t quite so accurate, a year had a random number of months, and toasting wasn’t even dreamed up until the middle ages. First, those pesky Romans had to adopt the Julian calendar, some time in 46 BC.

Frankly, because Julius Caesar set the whole thing in motion, it’s surprising we don’t celebrate the New Year in the middle of July, when Caesar was born, or at the vernal equinox, when the old calendar began its cycle. Nope. Traditions are good for something so we’re stuck with the vestiges of another holiday during which a table was set for freaky elves. That’s another story.

Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, seemed a worthy candidate to give his name to the first month of the new year. Conveniently, Janus also had the peculiar attribute of two faces; he could look simultaneously forward and backward and drink beer and wine at the same time. It was a great branding moment.

I’m asking you all to think carefully about this on New Year’s Eve. I don’t mean mix your beer and wine. Au contraire! Do this: remember where we’re coming from and pay close attention to where we’re going. Plus, it’s equally important to just be where you are and to that end I’m sending this Facebook post to be sure you consider being at Popolo for dinner on New Year’s Eve to reflect on 2014, gaze into 2015, and to settle yourself into a comfy middle seat for our special menu, special drinks, and the usual fanfare with which Popolo greets a holiday.

See you here. Reservations are strongly recommended. 802-460-7676