It’s almost Christmas! That brings a sense of excitement!
It’s also almost 2020! That brings a sense of amazement!
I was thinking last night about how much Christmas has changed and how much the world has changed as we head for a new decade.
I remember Christmas as a child. We used to get so many Christmas cards we would tape them all over the door. Now we send a few but Facebook is loaded with greetings and memes.
Remember when your favorite Christmas shows came on television? There was no “25 Days of Christmas” on TV and no Hallmark Christmas movies. You had one chance the see “Rudolph,” “Charlie Brown” and “Frosty.” “Elf” wasn’t on every night or on three different channels when it first came out either. OnDemand? I didn’t even have a VCR until I moved out and got married.
Remember when your favorite show had a Christmas episode? That was a special night. Now you can go to Google and discover which episodes of “The Office” you need to watch for the Christmas shows. (I did the work for you.)
Season 2 Episode 10
Season 3 Episode 10
Season 3 Episode 11
Season 5 Episode 11
Season 6 Episode 13
Season 7 Episode 11
Season 7 Episode 12
Season 8 Episode 10
Season 9 Episode 9
Just fire up Netflix, make some hot chocolate and you’re all set. Have a Holly Jolly!
I made the long car trip up from Virginia Beach with my daughter and grandson late Friday night. He was terrific as we decided to drive overnight and keep with his regular bedtime schedule.
We had Christmas music going for the first few hours before we went to the Beatles playlist and then Showtunes around 4 a.m. The funny thing was that it was all playlists. We were no longer looking for the All-Christmas station out of Philadelphia or playing the Amy Grant cassettes.
Even at home we would have our collection of Christmas albums, then cassettes, then CDs. Yes I had a Mitch Miller album and Ray Coniff. Some Johnny Mathis and the Time/ Life Christmas collection.
I remember Christmas when my children were young and excited as they waited for Santa. We missed the whole “Elf on a Shelf” phenomenon but I guess I need to learn it for my grandson. It seems that all started in 2005. That’s 15 years ago now.
Isn’t it weird that the year 2000 was 20 years ago? I don’t like to say, “I’m getting old!” I prefer to think, “Damn! I’ve been busy!”
I think it’s really cool all the gadgets that my daughter and son-in-law have with my grandson. Years ago you would get a little swing to put the baby in and just push him/her back and forth. We had one that you would wind up to keep the child moving and then there was one that you would push a button and the motor would do the work. Now they have an app on their phone so that you can control the chair. My daughter, Sarah, even downloaded it onto my phone for when I’m watching the baby.
Sometimes I just sit with little Liam and wonder what kind of new developments he will see in his lifetime. He’ll graduate high school in 2037. Wow! That’s if he still goes to school. Maybe it will be virtual reality!
I wonder if we’ll still be listening to “White Christmas” or watching “It’s A Wonderful Life?”
I’m excited to find out, and yes, I plan to be here. Why not?
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