Lacking cheer in the New Year? There may be a reason, from incessant robo calls to smart phones at the holiday table. This “Iowa View” post in The Des Moines Register advises what you can do about it.

Technology has changed holiday traditions. More of us shop online rather than on Main Street marveling at street decorations and festive window displays. We can avoid the post office, too, with companies like Amazon providing shipping and gift-wrapping. Presents require internet rather than assembly. We can text a digital card with a meme or emoticon rather than sit at the kitchen table composing missives for nieces, nephews, children and grandchildren.

Maybe that’s for the better, since many digital natives have trouble reading cursive.

Despite these conveniences, we seem less cheerful, peeved by pings, clicks and beeps of our era. …

For the rest of the post, visit The Des Moines Register.

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