The obligatory end of year post. Reflecting on the past twelve months, looking towards 2017. Not for me, not this year anyway.
Instead what I would like to do is make a suggestion, something that sounds easy to do, but that some will find difficult.
It is this.
On Christmas Day, turn off your social media. Give your virtual self the day off. Wherever you are, whoever you are with, be with them. The videos of kittens dressed in elves costumes, the infinite array of nostalgic quotes, the never ending festive memes, will all still be there on Boxing Day.
If you feel like you need to communicate with someone who is not wherever you happen to be, give them a call. Don’t text or message them, let them know that they matter enough for you to actually speak to them and not just send a few words in between checking your Facebook feed and your snapchats. And if you know someone who is alone, call them up too.
Give yourself over to the people you are with, the people you are talking to. Marvel at the random events that have occurred, since the dawn of time, to bring you to the place where you are, right now, with them. Talk, laugh, connect, enjoy the company of other humans. And have a Merry Christmas.