• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, December 23, 2020

It goes without saying that this holiday season is unlike any other we’ve experienced in our lifetime.  Hopefully it’s unlike any other we will experience ever again.  Usually the holidays are filled with office parties, extravagant dinners and festive get-togethers.  It sometimes includes hectic cross-country travel, rental cars and airport delays.  I find it hard to believe I am saying this, but I even miss those typically frustrating experiences!  2020 has been a dumpster fire, and the holidays are a coda to the way almost everything else went this year. 

The advertising, marketing and media industry is filled with energetic, happy, sociable people.  Many of my best friends are part of this industry, but this year we all need to check in with each other. Lots of people are battling negativity, sadness and even depression.  This is an industry that thrives on being able to get together -- and now it can’t. 

When you feel alone, that negative cast can be hard to overcome.  I’m lucky because I have my family and I can sit with my wife and my kids at any time of the day to soak in a little of their energy, but that’s not the case for everyone.  We all need someone, and this holiday season will be filled with a lot of people who can’t have anyone around.

There is a remedy for this: Reach out to someone.  Use a video conference provider like Zoom, Google, or Webex.  Send a text or a social media note.  Send flowers.  Pick up the old-fashioned phone or make a FaceTime call.  Five minutes to let someone know you’re thinking about them can go a long way to brighten their day. 

Surprisingly, it is just as good for you as it is for them.  Many of us are locked back down in some state of shelter-in-place or quarantine.  When you’re in that state, the world can feel very small.  Repetition in a sheltered day can feel unmotivating.  Breaking the monotony and talking to someone different is a welcome respite and can inject a little happiness into the day.  It requires very little effort and delivers a tangible reward, but if you don’t make the effort, then it can be easy to overlook.  It’s very easy to fall into a rut, and coming out can feel like an impossible feat.

These feelings are not permanent.  This whole situation will pass.  Things will be different six, 10 and certainly 12 months from now. Meetings will take place in person.  People will be able to shake hands, break bread and share a glass of wine if they so choose. 

When that happens, we will gravitate to the people we feel most connected to, and those are the people who stayed in contact during the pandemic. This will become your inner circle in the future.  If you invest a little during the holidays to stay connected and put some cheer into the world around you, it will pay dividends in the future.

So, this holiday season, take a moment to reach out to someone and ask, “How are you feeling this holiday season?”  Some people will be doing just fine.  Some people will be happy you reached out.  Some people will be ecstatic to hear from you. 

All of it will be good.  The holidays are a time to reconnect, look back and look forward, and this holiday season is no exception to that rule -- even if it is the exception to almost every other rule.

Cheers to you and yours.  I look forward to seeing you all very soon!