"The de-Christianisation of Christmas continues apace," according to an editorial in the Limerick Leader. And rampant consumerism, says the paper, is not to blame.
"No, the threat to the true meaning of Christmas lies less in any commercial excess than in the secularisation of the feast. For some people the season of peace and goodwill towards men has been reduced to an excuse for gluttony, drunkenness and debauchery."
Nevertheless, a Longford Leader editorial says that "for a great many people, Christmas is still primarily a religious occasion". It also acknowledges that "nothing exemplifies the changed face of Ireland over the past 50 years more than the annual celebration of Christmas".
The season was formerly the only time many people could "indulge themselves in some luxuries in terms of food and drink. They lived otherwise in a very Spartan regime where money was extremely scarce". Now, however, "it can be said that lots of people have Christmas every week of the year". The paper highlights another aspect of Christmas which has remained constant across generations: "the catalyst it provides for reviving the family spirit".
"Christmas and emigration are inextricably linked in the Irish psyche", as this is the time when "the family bond is restored between family members separated by long distances".
The Offaly Independent, meanwhile, appeals for moderation. "Many will splash out on heavy purchasing and debt-creating projects and most will imbibe alcohol to a greater degree than ever. All too many will meet their end on our roads and violent scenes fuelled by drink and drugs will be the norm," says the paper.
"There is no need to refrain from the odd drink that cheers, but it is lunacy to embark on a season of drunkenness," the editorial continues.
The Westmeath Examiner says goodbye to 2001 by listing some of the good and bad things which occurred in its region during the past year. Anthrax scares in Mullingar and Castlepollard, the closure and demolition of Boher dancehall, and the pollution of more than half the river Brosna are among the "bad things". The "good things" include the visit of St ThΘrΦse to Mullingar and the urban and rural schemes which will benefit several areas.
The Leinster Leader's editorial has a similar theme, but its tone is less light-hearted. "It would be nice to bid farewell to 2001 on a happy note, but it would surely be idiocy to cast even a cursory glance at the state of affairs in this great little country of ours and pretend that all is rosy in the garden."
In the past year, murders (mostly recently the brutal sexual assault and killing of Sister Philomena Lyons in Co Monaghan), assaults on old people, suicides and other tragedies have occurred almost every week.
"We cannot easily put knowledge of these events behind us, or even to one side, simply because it is Christmas," says the editorial.
Several regional papers note the lack of festive joy in places where jobs this week were lost or were in danger of disappearing.
The Wexford People's lead story reports: "Christmas spirit was in short supply at Wexford Electronix", as more than 350 workers "found out their jobs were on the line through lunchtime news bulletins". Workers at the factory, which recently went into receivership without notice, face "a bleak Christmas and uncertain financial future", says the paper.
And more than 100 Wicklow truckers face Christmas and New Year on the dole "thanks to Wicklow County Council's crack-down on unlicensed landfills", says the front page of the Wicklow People.