I came across this Youtube video this morning, which depicts a lonely, disheveled geek during Christmas, whose only hope of companionship is a virtual Christmas dinner over the Internet.

He invites the members of his online forum to participate in his virtual dinner, and even makes special animated Santa smileys for them - only to find no one for him, even online. Dejected, the geek resigns himself to a lonely Christmas, but when he hears a knock on his door and opens it, he is surprised by two warm and friendly people, who give him a hug and spend Christmas with him playing board games. The last shot in this film is the geek looking happy that he won’t have to spend Christmas alone.

Of course, this is a fictional video - and furthermore, this video and its companion site, Befriend A Geek.com, seem to be part of a viral marketing campaign for two web design companies.

However, what’s interesting in this video is how the geek is portrayed - as a lonely, disheveled soul with no hope of finding companionship even online. The premise of the video, tongue-in-cheek as it is, is that geeks need help with social interactions even during Christmas time. That’s pretty much in line with the classic geeky shut-in stereotype.

I don’t think the stereotype is true, personally. Most geeks I know do have friends and family around them to be with during the holidays. However, there probably are some individuals who are alone during the holidays, and do not like it, and my wish for them during this holiday season is that they, too, are someday blessed with the gift of companionship.

What do you think of this video? Is this true of your own experience, or of someone you know? Is this just a nasty stereotype? Where do you like to be during Christmas, or during any other festive event?