Do you remember the Year 2000 craze? Once upon a time, 2000 was widely held as the magic year that would signify the end of the world. When 1999 came around, rather than party like the year it was, some stockpiled food, gold and weapons instead. Oh, and to make matters worse, there was the Y2K Bug – a computer glitch that did, indeed, have the potential to cause problems at midnight on New Years’ Eve. How many problems, no one could say for sure, but the fact that there was something that could go wrong at the stroke of midnight was heralded by many (or at least blown up in the media) as a sign.
It turned out to be mostly nonsense, of course, though I imagine computer geeks around the world worked hard to ensure that it stayed nonsense. I was in high school at the time, and though I wasn’t religious and logically knew everything would be fine, the part of me that grew up watching Sightings and reading about aliens and conspiracies and Nostradamus was just slightly worried. I admit, a tiny part of me held her breath on New Years. When the day passed without event, my fears were dispelled, but not entirely – because everyone in my family had seen the same TV shows and read the same books, and even leading up to 2000 would dryly joke that the real end would come in 2012, of course.
Now, as an adult, logic has all but entirely replaced my superstition. It wasn’t long after 2000 that I read more about the Mayan calendar and assured myself that they weren’t really predicting the end of the world. Today I don’t think it would sway me even if they were. The only extra thing I have to fear for December 21 is that some suggestible person does something crazy.
With that said, December 21 is a Friday. Instead of a holiday party this year, it might be fun to stay in, invite your friends (or not), throw an Apocalyptic Mayan Melt-Down get-together and party like I should have been in 1999. It has all the fun of a holiday party but without any of the attached seasonal issues! Imagine the possibilities:
If it shines with a vaguely radioactive glow, it stays. Holiday fairy lights? Glow sticks from the dollar store? That dusty fluorescent black light you found in your parents’ basement? Why not! Bonus points for drinks with glowing ice cubes, even if it’s just 7-Up. Like New Years, but better, because:
Aliens. Since the whole thing is kind of a mishmash of fiction and conspiracy and culture we don’t really understand, the weirdest stuff can be made to fit in. Stonehenge. Easter Island. Atlantis. Crazy weather phenomena. Ghostbusters.
Disaster movies. Probably the first one that comes to mind is something like The Day After Tomorrow, but really anything apocalyptic or disaster-like will do. A few suggestions to jump-start your brain:
- Godzilla – A giant, city-stomping monster conceived by human hubris? Don’t mind if I do!
- Signs – The tension leading up to one scary night in the cellar is pretty much exactly what my teenaged brain feared in 1999. Followed by something like…
- War of the Worlds – You know, the 2005 remake still kind of freaks me out. And the story is a classic. What better to instill a little panic and mass hysteria?
- Ghostbusters II - Yes, the first one might be superior, but this one kicks off with a more obvious End of the World thing going on. Well, unless you count Gozer, Destroyer of Worlds… You know what, better just make it a double feature.
Basically, it’s like SyFy and the not-so-historical History Channel got together and had a baby. But instead of Baby New Year, this one likes to go to all-night raves and probably kind of looks like Ke$ha. And with that pleasant image in mind, go forth and plan to party like it’s 2012!
So what are your plans for Friday night? Any party ideas you want to share?
