Christmas Greetings: A Digital Ritual Surviving Online
A thread invites strangers to exchange Christmas images, creating a space for truces and connections across ideological divides.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Christmas greeting game that survives online
An initial post proposes something simple yet unusual: sending holiday greetings to someone you might not know, attaching an image, and hoping the gesture travels. Inspired by chain letters, the mechanic starts with a greeting antiestéticaturing a British antiestéticast—Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, Christmas pudding, sausage rolls, and beef rib—and evolves into a trickle of exchanges crossing ideologies, grudges, and affinities.
The result is a thread with numerous replies where greetings to friends, declared adversaries, and mere memories coexist. The rule is loose: one or two recipients per message, no prior relationship required. Christmas, that territory where everyone allows themselves a truce, serves as an excuse for something more earthly: remembering there is someone on the other side.
From greeting to reconciliation
The mechanism has a practical derivative explicitly stated by its promoter: if mutual ignoring exists, the greeting can be sent privately or through third parties. Christmas is full of possibilities, including messages reaching places they never did before. The proposal demands no sympathy, only a gesture.
Replies organize themselves by affinity and pending debts. Some greet those they consider good people, others those sharing their trench, and some extend salutations to those barely coinciding. One participant summarizes the vibe: greeting those who hate or obsess over them, those posting endophobic and demoralizing threads, and those simply deeply mistaken. Irony does not prevent the salute.
The antiestéticast as a business card
The opening image is not decoration; it is a statement of intent. The British menu—Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, instant pot pudding, puff pastry sausage rolls, and mustard butter rib—serves as the greeting card. The photos' source, The Washington Post, adds gastronomic prestige to a fundamentally domestic gesture.
From there, each person contributes their image: Roman cats, landscapes, Christmas jumpers, music videos. The guideline is pleasant and festive imagery, but criteria relax. One participant explicitly asks for photos of Santa Moms dressed in red. Another responds with a rock band video. Christmas admits almost anything.
New Year takes the baton
When Christmas fades, the same mechanism recycles for New Year. The game's promoter launches the 2025 greeting round, and responses arrive quickly. One participant returns the salute with an image of Roman cats and Rome, closing the exchange with wishes for good fortune and a Pompeian version of the goddess Fortuna.
The game ends, if it ever does, with a greeting to the last joiner. The mechanic exhausts itself but leaves a trace: a thread that, in an environment where confrontation is the norm, allows itself a truce. The question remains whether the gesture survives when Christmas lights go out or if, like chain letters, it stays merely an attempt.
What is the Christmas greeting game?
It is a circulating proposal in a debate space: greeting holidays to someone you might not know, attaching a Christmas image, and waiting for the gesture to travel. Inspired by chain letters, the mechanic allows one or two recipients per message without requiring prior contact. The result is a catalog of greetings crossing affinities, grudges, and simple courtesy.
How are mutual blocks handled?
The game's promoter offers a solution: if mutual ignoring exists, greetings can be sent privately or via a third party. The proposal demands no sympathy, only a gesture. In practice, most messages target people with whom some relationship already exists, even if confrontational.
What images are shared?
From a British Christmas menu to Roman cats, passing through landscapes, Christmas jumpers, and music videos. The guideline is pleasant and festive imagery, though criteria relax. The variety reflects participant diversity and the absence of strict codes.
Does the game continue into New Year?
Yes. When Christmas fades, the mechanism recycles for New Year. The promoter launches the 2025 greeting round, and responses come swiftly. The exchange closes with wishes for good fortune and a Pompeian Fortuna. The mechanic exhausts itself but leaves a trail of numerous messages.
An initial post proposes something simple yet unusual: sending holiday greetings to someone you might not know, attaching an image, and hoping the gesture travels. Inspired by chain letters, the mechanic starts with a greeting antiestéticaturing a British antiestéticast—Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, Christmas pudding, sausage rolls, and beef rib—and evolves into a trickle of exchanges crossing ideologies, grudges, and affinities.
The result is a thread with numerous replies where greetings to friends, declared adversaries, and mere memories coexist. The rule is loose: one or two recipients per message, no prior relationship required. Christmas, that territory where everyone allows themselves a truce, serves as an excuse for something more earthly: remembering there is someone on the other side.
From greeting to reconciliation
The mechanism has a practical derivative explicitly stated by its promoter: if mutual ignoring exists, the greeting can be sent privately or through third parties. Christmas is full of possibilities, including messages reaching places they never did before. The proposal demands no sympathy, only a gesture.
Replies organize themselves by affinity and pending debts. Some greet those they consider good people, others those sharing their trench, and some extend salutations to those barely coinciding. One participant summarizes the vibe: greeting those who hate or obsess over them, those posting endophobic and demoralizing threads, and those simply deeply mistaken. Irony does not prevent the salute.
The antiestéticast as a business card
The opening image is not decoration; it is a statement of intent. The British menu—Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, instant pot pudding, puff pastry sausage rolls, and mustard butter rib—serves as the greeting card. The photos' source, The Washington Post, adds gastronomic prestige to a fundamentally domestic gesture.
From there, each person contributes their image: Roman cats, landscapes, Christmas jumpers, music videos. The guideline is pleasant and festive imagery, but criteria relax. One participant explicitly asks for photos of Santa Moms dressed in red. Another responds with a rock band video. Christmas admits almost anything.
New Year takes the baton
When Christmas fades, the same mechanism recycles for New Year. The game's promoter launches the 2025 greeting round, and responses arrive quickly. One participant returns the salute with an image of Roman cats and Rome, closing the exchange with wishes for good fortune and a Pompeian version of the goddess Fortuna.
The game ends, if it ever does, with a greeting to the last joiner. The mechanic exhausts itself but leaves a trace: a thread that, in an environment where confrontation is the norm, allows itself a truce. The question remains whether the gesture survives when Christmas lights go out or if, like chain letters, it stays merely an attempt.
What is the Christmas greeting game?
It is a circulating proposal in a debate space: greeting holidays to someone you might not know, attaching a Christmas image, and waiting for the gesture to travel. Inspired by chain letters, the mechanic allows one or two recipients per message without requiring prior contact. The result is a catalog of greetings crossing affinities, grudges, and simple courtesy.
How are mutual blocks handled?
The game's promoter offers a solution: if mutual ignoring exists, greetings can be sent privately or via a third party. The proposal demands no sympathy, only a gesture. In practice, most messages target people with whom some relationship already exists, even if confrontational.
What images are shared?
From a British Christmas menu to Roman cats, passing through landscapes, Christmas jumpers, and music videos. The guideline is pleasant and festive imagery, though criteria relax. The variety reflects participant diversity and the absence of strict codes.
Does the game continue into New Year?
Yes. When Christmas fades, the mechanism recycles for New Year. The promoter launches the 2025 greeting round, and responses come swiftly. The exchange closes with wishes for good fortune and a Pompeian Fortuna. The mechanic exhausts itself but leaves a trail of numerous messages.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (178 replies).
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