“We just finished another patrol. For once, everything was quiet. The guys even had some spare time to put up a make shift Christmas tree. Here are the pictures to prove it,” says a blog post, along with a few photos, from a lonely Marine stationed in Iraq. This particular soldier will later view a few updated pictures of his children within his wife’s profile and send an e-card to his mom on Christmas day.

Just like this example that took place at Oaktreeidea.com, savvy Internet users are bypassing the long lines of airports and entrance ramps for the ease and convenience of social networks to send their Christmas blessings and New Years wishes.

In the past year, social networks (like MySpace, FaceBook and start-up Oaktreeidea.com) have experienced exponential growth due to the social nature of connecting friends and family through multiple online communication tools. This Christmas season, social networks now seem poised to take center stage. Blogs, messaging systems and online photo books will be put to the “bandwidth” test when Internet users pass pictures back and forth of Christmas Day family dinners and messages of New Years resolutions and party plans.

 Oaktreeidea.com, MySpace, Brady Stump[/tags]