Christmas isn’t the same.

Christmas isn’t the same.

Growing up, my family had large Christmas parties every year.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends would gather at our home.

Even Santa would make a surprise appearance to hand out toys.

I loved these parties.

But over time, the parties got smaller and smaller.

People moved.

Others got married and began attending the spouse’s family parties.

Some passed away.

Eventually, those parties stopped altogether.

Before I knew it, I was an adult with my own child, Bianca.

But our Christmas parties were much different.

I felt we had no traditions of our own.

She and I spoke about this.

Bianca’s answer surprised me.

She explained that she loves our traditions.

I pushed back.

What traditions?

Bianca said…

Elf on the Shelf causing trouble in our house.

Making a gingerbread house together.

Eating cheesy mashed potatoes with bacon for Christmas dinner.

Watching Elf the Movie.

Playing Uno as a family after we open presents.

She’s right.

I love those things too.

But by clinging to a romanticized version of the past, I was overlooking the joys of the present.

We do this not just in holiday traditions.

The marketing industry romanticizes the past too.

The time of the Mad Men era.

The time before the internet and social media.

The time before the pandemic and remote work.

But don’t lose sight.

We’re in the midst of an exciting new era.

Artificial intelligence.

Consumer privacy.

Machine learning.

Metaverse.

Web 3.

As we approach the new year, many of us will reflect on our past.

While the past can be comforting, it can also hold us back.

Don’t lose your present to your past.