Geeks Vs Loneliness: The Final Countdown

Tis the Friday before Christmas, or black-eyed Friday as it’s so charmingly nicknamed. Sequins and Christmas jumpers are hurting our eyes everywhere, waistbands straining from mince pie and shortbread consumption. And this is before at least two Christmas dinners apiece.

Whether you plan your time meticulously, or just wing it at the last moment, enjoy whatever you do over the next two weeks. There’s a number of bright spots hitting my diary right now, and I suspect I’m not alone.

There is of course the small matter of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker having hit our cinemas. Indeed, some of you may have been lucky enough to have seen it yesterday as it premiered. My tickets are booked for that lag between Christmas and New Year. With added IMAX. I will be like a giddy kid at the actual screening.

If it all gets a bit hectic, or the eggnog is giving you a good kicking the morning after the hoedown before, then maybe shed your sequins, grab your Wookie onesie and snuggle on down with a duvet.

My streaming binges right now include Russian Doll and Gotham on Netflix. Perhaps not the cheeriest (or most recent) of shows, but there’s a certain grim humour that appeals right now. Witcher drops today, with lashings of Henry Cavill. If you’re looking for seasonal goods, there’s the animated Christmas tale Klaus that might tickle your baubles.

Looking ahead, Prime is bringing us Picard on the 24th January. There’s the second series of The Boys in production. But the series I am most looking forward is the adaptation of Joe Hill’s Locke And Key, coming in May. Anyone else?

The BBC seems to be keeping us waiting until New Year for their main treats. First up is the Doctor Who special, followed by Dracula, putting the fanged one front and centre of his own story. To misquote Cordelia Chase, we’re looking at a whole lot of salty goodness coming our way in 2020.

Not sure what you fancy watching this Christmas? Shake it up with a spot of horror, with Den of Geek’s guide to the best Christmas horror films.

Or maybe settling down with a good book is just what you need. Why not check out the top picks of 2019 from the Den of Geek writing team?

We are heading into a new year, a new decade. One perhaps overshadowed by the fractious division of the preceding one. Maybe we should try to shake that off and look for a sense of optimism as the new year begins. The longest night has passed for one more year and the sky gets imperceptibly lighter day by day. It’s a thought worth holding onto.

Whatever you do today, next week, this festive season, go bright, go happy, go safe. Go with a huge thank you from me, for being part of the GvL conversation during 2019. Whatever 2020 brings, wherever our footsteps fall, I hope that someone, somewhere, is loving you 3,000.

Jane