A post on Nextdoor grabbed my attention.
“Just curious,” R.F. from Denver, Lancaster County, wrote. “Does anyone else feel like Christmas was weird this year? Like it didn’t ‘feel’ like Christmas? Family gatherings still happened and presents opened Christmas morning, but something felt off?”
I rarely use Nextdoor, which is described as a hyperlocal social networking service. I find it mostly useless.
The “hyperlocal” bent is dubious. Denver is about 12 miles from my neighborhood, which I listed when I signed up.
Also, Nextdoor content is watered down by digital panhandlers, posts from real estate agents for property listings in various ZIP codes, and sponsored ads for windows, doors and siding.
But like most social media sites, you can find a piece of silver once in a while in a pile of anthracite.
R.F. tapped into the meaninglessness many people have been feeling lately about Christmas, as evidenced by the comments on the thread.
“We went through all the normal steps,” J.L. commented, “but the feeling was not there. Sad but true.”
L.A. offered this take: “Things are even more ‘you must buy this!’-focused, and Christmas season was in our face even earlier and commercialism was at its highest! It was less and less about this beautiful spirit of Christmas….”
Some comments blamed online shopping.
“It's hard to be surprised when opening packages on Christmas morning,” R.Y. interjected. “People ask what you want, they go online and bring it up on the computer, it's delivered to the door if a porch pirate doesn't steal it, no surprises.”
The message the popular culture sends relentlessly is you must be cheerful and joyous around Christmastime.
The reality is that many people experience loneliness, sadness and depression around the holidays for a number of reasons: reflecting on the death of a parent, child or spouse/partner; financial hardship; estrangement from family.
Also, people often mistake happiness for joy.
Opening or watching someone open wrapped gifts may bring happiness, but the feeling tends to quickly fade.
“Xmas cannot make people feel anything,” L.J. observed. “People make Xmas feel special. When one accepts the Blessings of life, Xmas becomes a joyous occasion, sharing with others the Blessing of life and good fortune ….”
Perhaps those agreeing with R.J.’s post feel that way because they aren’t connected to a religious faith. One of the main functions of a church grounded in a faith’s history and tradition is to engender a sense of joy in celebrating something greater than oneself.
D.D. shared that he and his wife of 38 years devoted most of their modest holiday budget on gasoline visiting their children’s families in other states.
Noting that almost a trillion dollars was spent by consumers this year, 3% increase over the previous year, D.D. observed:
“Ironic isn’t it, that money never really equates to happiness, contentedness, or wellbeing.”