Back in 2020, when the world felt upside down and gathering around a dinner table was out of reach, I found myself craving connection. I didn’t know how to fix all the heaviness, but I knew how to send an email. So I started what became a tradition, “Holiday Cheer,” sent to a handful of friends and family. Each email included a funny story, a meme, a playlist. Something short and sweet just as reminder that we weren’t alone.
I was desperate, honestly. Desperate to feel connected. To hear back. To know people were still out there, laughing at something silly together. Here’s the part that surprised me: People wrote back.
So many times I would hear, “I needed this so much today,” or “Thank you for showing up in my inbox.” More than once, someone shared a story or meme that became part of the next email. The connection became reciprocal and continued to grow.
One person deserves a special shout-out. My aunt, Ann Rash. She never missed a response. Every single cheerful update would get a note back, sometimes a sentence, sometimes a story, but always something that made me smile. Without knowing it, she was reinforcing the whole reason I started doing this…because responses meant feeling seen.
Each year at least one of the emails would include a simple assignment: Write down three things you’re grateful for today.
Not because gratitude is a seasonal buzzword, but because it changes your entire outlook on the day when you pause long enough to notice what is good.
Here were my three that first year
- The heated seats in my VW Beetle (still undefeated in cold weather season)
- Every single reply I received to those emails
- Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, which reframed how I think about emotion, language, and the stories we tell ourselves
And I meant all of them.
This year, instead of sending those cheer emails to a small circle, I want to extend them to YOU, the readers of the Kershaw County Current.
This column is my “Holiday Cheer” for you.
A curated set of “best-of” favorites are included in our Comic Relief section this month. Share them. Send them to someone you know who needs a smile. Laughter counts as holiday spirit!
Why Cheer Still Matters
A lot has changed since 2020, but oddly, the need for connection has not. If anything, it’s grown.
Several years ago I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, one of the nation’s leading researchers on loneliness. She shared something that has stayed with me:
“We have social needs. And if those needs are not being met, loneliness is an adaptive signal—like hunger or thirst—telling us to make a change.”
Loneliness isn’t a personality trait. It’s a symptom.
And symptoms call us to take action.
More recently, Oxford announced its 2025 Word of the Year: rage bait.
Defined as:
“online content intentionally designed to provoke anger or outrage…to increase clicks and engagement.”
When I read that, my heart sank.
Rage is profitable.
Attention is currency.
Algorithms know outrage travels faster than kindness.
Which makes “holiday cheer” more than a cute tradition—it makes it necessary resistance.
So here is my invitation to you this season:
Notice how media makes you feel.
Close the app if you feel tense.
Don’t scroll before your feet hit the floor in the morning.
And don’t scroll once you’ve tucked into bed.
Those two times are ripe for doom-scrolling…and doom never brings cheer! (or happiness for that matter)
My Three Gratitudes This Season
It’s important to take stock of these often. Here are my current ones. 😁
I’m grateful for Broad & Vine. Not just because of the wine (though yes, that too!), but because while attending one of their Bingo nights during the summer of 2024, I met the love of my life.
I’m grateful for Patty Rose, my partner in re-launching the KC Current. Without her, this idea may never have become real and certainly wouldn’t be as much fun!
And finally, I’m deeply grateful to YOU—for reading, for showing up, for believing in this community.
Your Turn
Take five minutes.
Write down three things you’re grateful for. People, places, small conveniences, big changes, anything at all. Get creative. Need inspiration? Look at this link.
Then (and this is the important part) if any of your three involve a person, please tell them. Research shows, that love amplifies love.
Because back in 2020, I was looking for connection. Today, I know it’s something we all need. And this tiny corner of the internet—this paper, this community—might just be one meaningful place to start. If you want to share your gratitute list, I’m all ears. Send me an email at keri@kccurrent.com
Happy holidays, friends.
Thanks for letting me share some cheer.
