Remember those massive TV Guide issues that came out before Christmas? The ones thick enough to use as a doorstop? My grandson looked at one in an antique shop last week like it was some kind of ancient artifact. Which, I suppose, it kind of is.

The generational gap has never been more obvious than during the holidays. What we boomers considered essential Christmas traditions would leave today’s Gen Z scratching their heads in confusion. And honestly? Sometimes I’m the one confused when my grandkids try to explain their holiday plans to me.

Let me take you on a nostalgic journey through the Christmas traditions that defined our generation – traditions that would absolutely baffle anyone born after 1997.

1. Waiting until Christmas morning to open everything

Can you imagine telling a Gen Z kid they have to wait until December 25th to open all their presents? No midnight unwrapping, no “just one gift on Christmas Eve” negotiations. We waited. Period.

The anticipation was torture, but it was also magical. We’d shake those boxes, hold them up to the light, and drive ourselves crazy with speculation. My kids tried this patience game with their own children last year. Let’s just say it didn’t go well. The concept of delayed gratification has definitely evolved.

2. Using paper maps to find relatives’ houses

Every Christmas road trip started with dad spreading out a massive paper map on the kitchen table. We’d trace our route with our fingers, counting the exits and memorizing landmarks. Getting lost was a real possibility, and asking for directions at gas stations was just part of the adventure.

My teenage grandchild asked me why we didn’t just use GPS. When I explained GPS didn’t exist, the look on her face was priceless. “So you just… hoped you’d find the right house?” Pretty much, kiddo. Pretty much.

3. Developing Christmas photos and hoping they turned out

We took maybe 24 photos the entire holiday because film was expensive. Then we’d drop the roll off at the drugstore and wait a week to see if grandma’s eyes were open or if uncle Bob’s thumb covered the lens.

No instant preview. No filters. No retakes. You got what you got, and blurry photos became part of the family album anyway. The suspense of picking up those photo envelopes in January was weirdly exciting.

4. Recording Christmas specials on VHS

Missing a Christmas special meant waiting an entire year to see it again. So we became masters of VHS programming, setting timers and making sure we had enough tape space.

The real pros among us would pause recording during commercials. I had a whole collection of Christmas specials on tapes labeled with masking tape and Sharpie. Streaming services have made this completely obsolete, but there was something special about having your own curated Christmas video library.

5. Shopping at actual stores until they closed on Christmas Eve

Online shopping? What’s that? We battled crowds at real stores, fighting over the last Cabbage Patch Kid or Teddy Ruxpin. Christmas Eve meant stores packed until closing time, usually around 6 PM.

You couldn’t order something at 11 PM on December 23rd and have it arrive the next day. If you forgot something, tough luck. This forced us to be more organized, or at least more creative with our gift-giving excuses.

6. Calling long-distance relatives as a special treat

Long-distance phone calls cost serious money. Calling grandma in Florida on Christmas was budgeted for weeks in advance. Everyone got exactly three minutes to talk, and dad stood there with a timer.

“Make it quick, it’s long distance!” was the holiday battle cry. Now my grandkids FaceTime their cousins in Australia like it’s nothing. The scarcity made those calls feel more precious somehow.

7. Writing and mailing physical Christmas cards to everyone

We maintained actual address books and spent weeks addressing envelopes by hand. Buying stamps in bulk, choosing the perfect cards, and including wallet-sized school photos was an entire production.

The mailbox would overflow with cards from people we hadn’t heard from all year. It was like a annual census of everyone you’d ever met. My grandkids think sending a group text with a Christmas emoji counts as the same thing. It’s not.

8. Looking up phone numbers in the phone book

Need to call a store to see if they had something in stock? Better hope you had the current Yellow Pages. Want to wish an old friend Merry Christmas? Flip through the White Pages and hope they hadn’t moved.

These books were huge, delivered to your doorstep once a year whether you wanted them or not. My grandchild couldn’t believe we had to look through actual paper to find a phone number. “Didn’t you just Google it?” Sweet summer child.

9. Planning TV watching around the schedule

If you missed the Charlie Brown Christmas special when it aired, that was it. No DVR, no on-demand, no YouTube. You planned your entire evening around the TV schedule.

Everyone watched the same shows at the same time, which meant you could actually talk about them at work the next day. There was something unifying about millions of families watching Rudolph simultaneously. Now everyone’s on their own streaming schedule.

10. Using real candles on Christmas trees

Okay, this was already phasing out when I was young, but some traditional families still did it. Real candles. On a dry tree. What could go wrong?

The fire hazard was extreme, but the effect was magical. You had to watch that tree like a hawk, and everyone had a bucket of water nearby. Modern LED lights are safer, sure, but they don’t have that same warm, dangerous glow that made Christmas feel like an adventure.

Final thoughts

These traditions might seem bizarre to Gen Z, but they shaped how we experience connection and celebration. We had fewer conveniences but perhaps more presence. We couldn’t capture every moment digitally, so we paid more attention. We couldn’t reach anyone instantly, so contact felt more meaningful.

I’m not saying our way was better. My grandkids’ generation has created their own beautiful traditions that would probably confuse us just as much. But understanding where we came from helps us appreciate where we’re going. And sometimes, just sometimes, putting down the smartphone and waiting until Christmas morning to open presents isn’t such a bad idea.