You'll likely be with those you love.
Or, at least, with those who love you and remain on your side even when you don't deserve it.
Not everyone, however, celebrates Christmas with others[1].
Some are alone because they want to be.
Some will tell you they're alone because they want to be, but really they're protecting themselves from anguish they prefer to carry inside.
Some deeply dislike being alone, but the last thing they want is to inspire pity.
They might have been struck with a failed relationship, a family feud, or a move to another city or country where they haven't yet made friends. Perhaps they've recently experienced the death of a life or a rupture with those to whom they felt the closest.
The reasons matter less than the fact that they're lonely.
Many of these people might believe no one really cares, just as they wish on this very day that someone would show that they do.
This, then, is my annual appeal[2] for you to think of your gadget -- on this one day -- as primarily a lifeline to someone else.
Yes, for most of the year, your phone, tablet, or laptop is your source of work, entertainment, and several thousand Emoji'd WhatsApp messages and Tinder swipes.
On Christmas Day, however, think of it as your way to make at least one lonely person feel less alone.
Everyone knows at least one person who'll be spending this day alone. Pick up your gadget and contact that person first.
Whether you know them well or not, it's still worth telling them that you're thinking of them. It's worth it to them. It's worth it to