While you were out buying bubbly, digging for that perfect outfit, and arranging to meet up with your buddies for a while night out, the team at The Timelapse Group was out prepping for one of the coolest videos of one of the coolest yearly traditions. Shot over the course of 12 hours from two hotel rooftop locations in downtown New York City just outside of Time Square, the video captures the impending celebration in all its glory, including the rush of people, the setting of the sun, and the – the pièce de résistance – the electrifying drop of the 12-foot sparkling Waterford crystal ball at the stroke of midnight. You can probably just stop after the ball drops, however, as watching people linger and the inevitable mound of trash left behind kind of kills the mood.  Watch it in its entirety after the jump.