Arthur's New Year's Eve

Summary
On New Year's Eve, Arthur and D.W. are determined to stay up till midnight to see what happens.

Plot
Arthur Read has never stayed up until midnight on New Year's Eve because his parents have always told him he's too young. He has tried a couple of times on his own to stay up, but has fallen asleep before midnight each time he tried; therefore, this year he chooses not to even try to stay up until midnight.

On New Year's Eve, Arthur is making his bed when Pal jumps on it, wanting to play. Jane Read comes in and tells him that she and his Dad are going out for New Year's Eve, and that Grandma Thora will be babysitting. D.W. Read comes in and asks her Mom if she can stay up until midnight and her Mom tells her that she's too young but she gives Arthur the permission to stay up until midnight but he says that he's not going to.

Arthur and Pal then go outside to play in the snow and Prunella Deegan stops by and asks Arthur if he's going to stay up to see the Green flash tonight on New Year's Eve and that if there's no green flash it has to stay the same year again.

After Prunella leaves Arthur goes and tells Francine Frensky about the green flash, but Francine tells Arthur that there is no green flash, and that on midnight on New Year's Eve, everyone has to throw out last year's calendar, because it becomes officially illegal and that the New Year's Police will check on people and anyone who still has last year's calendar will be arrested. Arthur then says, "I hope Grandma Thora knows about the New Year's Eve Police" before he imagines that the New Year's Eve police come to his house and find that Grandma Thora still has last year's calendar, and arrest her.

Arthur then goes to the Barneses' House and tells Binky Barnes about the New Year's Eve Police, but Binky says that there isn't any New Year's Eve Police. He says that on New Year's Eve at midnight there's this wrestling show that comes on T.V. where this baby and this old guy fight and if the baby wins the New Year begins but if the Old Guy wins the baby has to go and live with a groundhog and there's six more weeks of winter.

Arthur then goes to Buster's and tells Buster Baxter about the wrestling show to which Buster says that's the silliest things that he's ever heard. Buster then says his theory where all the parents go to New Years Eve. He says the parents talk out all the rotten things they did to their kids the past year, and plan new awful things to do to kids the next year. However, what Arthur's friends explained to him about New Year's Eve were just complete myths.

Back at home, D.W. developed a plan to stay up till midnight with pincing and ice to Arthur. Later that evening, Mr. and Mrs. Read went out, leaving Grandma Thora in charge of Arthur and D.W. D.W. got out her clock and ice for her plan. Meanwhile, Gramdma Thora and Arthur were having a thumb war when thew saw D.W. getting a drink of water. Later, they were playing Go Fish when D.W. goes to get another drink of water. Back in bed, she was feeling tired, so she sent a ice cube down her back, which made her jiggle. Meanwhile, Grandma Thora and Arthur were using their noisemakers for a practice run when D.W. came in, saying she had a nightmare. Arthur then falls asleep on Grandma Thora's shoulder at 11:30. Half an hour later, it reaches midnight, but without anything fancy happening, much to D.W's chagrin. However, she feels better when telling Arthur about it.

Arthur was sad he missed it, but he cheers up after Grandma Thora tells him that as long as he remembers all the things he did in the past year, he didn't miss a thing, because that is what New Year's Eve is really about. Arthur thinks about this, and feels better. He even wishes Pal a Happy New Year, and adds that maybe they'll see all the cool stuff his friends mentioned (like the green flash, the wrestling and the New Year's Police).

Major

 * Arthur Read
 * D.W. Read
 * Thora Read
 * Jane Read
 * David Read

Minor

 * Prunella
 * Buster
 * Francine
 * Binky Barnes

Background

 * Kate Read
 * Pal

Trivia

 * Clips from Buster's Dino Dilemma, Team Trouble, Francine Frensky, Superstar, Sue Ellen Moves In and Arthur Makes the Team are shown at the end of this episode.
 * A repeat of this episode aired on December 31, 2010 on KCET Los Angeles, which made it the last Arthur episode to air on KCET Los Angeles due to the station dropping its affiliation with PBS after 40 years on January 1, 2011.

Home Video
DVD: VHS:
 * Arthur's Celebration
 * Arthur's Celebration