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HONOLULU — One of the things I noticed when I first came to Utah was the dearth of fireworks that families would set off on New Year's Eve. Understandably so, aerial fireworks are expensive – and that means, in Hawaii, they're even more expensive. Plus, Utah is in the middle of a desert, which creates a bigger fire hazard than normal in Hawaii.

(It's one of the reasons why Utahns are often warned not to set off fireworks in fire-prone areas).

But that doesn't stop people from buying them ahead of New Year's Day when it is also legal to set them off. It's not unusual to hear fireworks being set off well before midnight that night, even as early as Halloween in Hawaii.

It makes for a spectacular sight when midnight hits in the 50th State, which is famous for being one of the last places on Earth to turn the calendar page. With so many sparklers and screamers going off, it's no wonder my parents refer to New Year's Eve as a "warzone."