Work, Christmas shopping, decorating — with all the distractions of the season I’ve been too busy to think about the end of the world, which will happen in a few hours according to the Mayan calendar.

As I began to write this post, I remembered writing about the end of the world before. Thirty minutes later I found the entry (so much for my filing system). It was May 21, 2011, a day when some Christians expected the Rapture.

Today, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, it’s easy to understand these apocalyptic predictions. The days grow shorter and darker. Who’s to say they won’t go away entirely?

We can make all the jokes we want about the end of time (no need to finish your holiday shopping!), but ultimately, isn’t it all about fear? 

So here’s to an end of our end-of-the-world worries. And to the end of fear, too.