
I walked toward the Strip as the rain insisted on making itself known.
Wet sidewalks. Cold wind cutting across my face. People moved forward anyway, heads down, coats tight, reflections stretching across the pavement.
When I arrived, the first surprise: the crowd was thinner than expected. The rain had stripped the night of its ease.
Beauty was buried under heavy coats. Faces disappeared behind black umbrellas. The energy was there — dense, contained, waiting — but it hadn’t ignited yet.




The countdown began.
For a brief moment, it felt like the familiar Vegas surge was about to break loose. Fireworks launched into the sky. But something was different. Most hotels cut their firepower short this year. The sky went quiet faster than it should have.
Except for Planet Hollywood.
It refused to give up. It kept firing — rhythmic, deliberate — holding the sky when others went dark, until it finally released into a loud, unapologetic climax.
When it was over, the crowd immediately turned back toward the hotels. The Cosmopolitan was closest. Packed, polished, efficient — but strangely muted. I crossed the street instead and walked into Planet Hollywood.
Inside: music, smiling bartenders, people dancing. Less refined than the Cosmo, maybe — but full of heart. It didn’t impress. It welcomed. It saved the night.

And then, twenty hours later, it happened.
A message from the sky. Red. Unmistakable.
An aurora borealis spread over Las Vegas — rare, impossible, undeniable.
It didn’t feel decorative. It felt like an omen of love, desire and strength.
2026 had arrived.
Get ready.
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