The holiday spirit: Error 404. Page Not Found.

I’m sitting here at 12:39 AM with my column due later today, and I cannot think of anything to write. Sounds odd to say that since there are an infinite number of subjects to write about, but I got nothing. I’m trying to avoid anything to do with politics since we’ve been deluged with politics for so long and I think most people are pretty burned out with anything remotely connected to politics at this point, but it’s hard to avoid since it’s so interconnected with everything in life these days.

I’ve been going through various news sites looking for anything to inspire me, perhaps even something cheerful to write about, but I’ve come up empty. And I’m reminded why I stopped going to all these news sites; because they are so depressing. There is never any good news, just bad news, which is analyzed over and over from every possible angle. I guess good news doesn’t sell, or there just isn’t any to report. When I googled “good news” I got “404 page not found.” Huh.

The obvious subject choice to write about would be the holidays, since we’re only a week and a half away from Christmas, but even that isn’t a happy subject for a lot of people. As with everything else in this nation, we seem to be divided about Christmas too. Not from the aspect of the political-correctness of Christmas, or whatever form of the holiday you choose to celebrate, but from the standpoint that there are two distinct groups of people who experience the holidays in vastly different ways.

For most people, the holidays are a time to gather with family and friends and to be happy and joyful and celebrate good tidings; to put a yule log on the fire and drink eggnog and kiss under the mistletoe. But for many others, the holidays are a difficult and painful time because they are alone and have no one to share the holiday joy with. It’s a struggle just to get through the holidays and make it to the new year, which we all hope will be better than the previous year. And I think we’re all ready for 2016 to be over with.

But this year the holiday spirit seems to be missing for a lot of people. I’ve seen so many people who just want the holidays to be over with and to get on with new year, or who are taking breaks from social media because they’re so tired of all the negativity and bickering. Or it could be that I’m just not seeing the holiday spirit from where I’m at. I suppose it’s just a matter of perspective, and which group you fall into. This is a rough time to get through when you’re alone, and calls to suicide crisis lines always go up during the holidays.

So I guess my message is that if you’re one of the fortunate ones to be celebrating the holidays with your family and friends, to be thankful that you have the opportunity to do that, and to not forget those who are alone. Reach out to your friends and say hello and let them know you care. A simple phone call or card or email can make all the difference in the world. And if you are alone during the holidays and struggling to get through this, please know that you are not alone and there are people who care about you and are there to support you. And to have faith that you will get through this and that things will get better. This has been a rough year for all of us and we’re sort of limping to the end of 2016 and looking with hope to 2017.

Here are numbers to call if you’re feeling down and need someone to talk with. You aren’t alone.

Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255