STOP! Read this before you send me a New Year message!

These handmade cards by my two sons are perfect examples of thoughtful, personalized holiday messages.

Friends, fellow smartphone users, lend me your screens; I come not to praise the happy new year images, but to bury them. As the new year approaches, it seems that the festive greetings, like the one shown on the right here, have become a plague upon our phones, taking up precious space and lacking any real personal touch. But fear not, for I bring you a solution: send a simple text message with your friend's name instead. It may not be as flashy as a colorful image, but it will show that you truly care.

I know, I know. You just want to spread the love and joy of the holiday season. But the truth is, those images are just taking up too much space on everyone's phones. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal¹, one in three smartphone users in India are running out of space on their phones daily because of all of those "Good Morning" images people send everyday. But for me, it's not just the space issue. It's the fact that these images are just so darn impersonal. Chances are, if you receive one of these images, someone else has already sent it to you. It's like getting ten of the same Christmas cards from ten of your different relatives. 

So, what can you do instead? If you really want to show your friends and loved ones that you care, try sending them a simple text message with their name. You know, like a real human being. Or, if you're feeling extra creative, write a poem or a song or something. Just do something that shows you put a little bit of thought into it.

Look, I get it. The new year is a time for celebration and good cheer. But let's try to spread that cheer in a way that's a little bit more personal, and a little less spammy. Happy new year!

¹WSJ Article: The Internet Is Filling Up Because of all the ‘Good Morning!’ Texts.

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