A Christmas Carol

It’s been a long year. 

The LA wildfires and the launch of DeepSeek was in January. Katy Perry going to space and those guys who foolishly recreated the dire wolf? That was April. The Louvre heist was already two months ago. 

We are, according to Kyla Scanlon, in a Vibecession. Kevin Gordon goes further and calls it a Vibepression. 

There was a time when big, macro events rarely infringed on everyday life, unless there was a war on your doorstep or a member of the royal family you’d never met died and the country stopped for some reason. 

But now, thanks to the internet, and interconnectedness, and lots of other alliterative words, we’ve flattened the divide between the big bad things and normal, mundane living. 

But wait, we hear you say. What Scroogian dystopia has this Christmas special fallen into? Where is the spirit of Jacob Marley, warning of a final chance (of the year, The Cave returns in a better mood on 9th January) to shed the chains of tetchy nihilism?

But while ol’ Ebenezer learned lessons from knowledge (and ghosts), comprehension is now often a curse (as too are ghosts). 

A greater understanding of the past, present, and future doesn’t necessarily bring a greater appreciation for it. Cratchit is being replaced by AI. Tiny Tim needs a GoFundMe to afford his medication. 

Instead, it is time to unplug. To embody the spirit of Christmas not through some measure of omnividence, but by focusing on the people, community, and connection right in front of us. 

It’s been a long year. Here’s to the immense good fortune of many more.