From vintage wrapping paper hoarded since the Carter administration to recording Christmas specials they could stream in seconds, the holiday season becomes a fascinating culture clash when boomers dust off traditions that leave younger generations wondering if they've accidentally time-traveled to 1982.
The Christmas tree was already up, tinsel draped perfectly in that spiral pattern my mom insists on every year. I was visiting my parents last December, and as I watched my dad carefully untangle his collection of ancient Christmas lights (the ones with those giant, hot bulbs from 1982), my wife leaned over and whispered, "Why doesn't he just buy LED strips?"
That's when it hit me. There's this whole universe of Christmas traditions that boomers cling to that leave younger generations scratching their heads. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and their dedication to holiday traditions. But sometimes, watching them navigate Christmas feels like observing anthropologists studying an ancient civilization.
After comparing notes with friends and spending way too many holidays bridging the generational divide, I've compiled the most baffling boomer Christmas behaviors that continue to mystify anyone born after 1980.
1. Sending physical Christmas cards to everyone they've ever met
My mom starts her Christmas card process in October. October! She has this leather-bound address book that looks like it survived the Vietnam War, and she meticulously writes personalized messages in each card.
Meanwhile, I sent a group text with a Christmas GIF last year and called it done.
The thing is, boomers don't just send cards to close friends and family. They send them to their dentist, the neighbor from three houses ago, and that couple they met on a cruise in 2003. The postal service probably keeps running solely because of boomer Christmas cards.
And heaven forbid you suggest sending e-cards instead. You'll get a lecture about "the personal touch" and how "people like getting real mail."
2. Recording Christmas specials on VHS or DVR
Last year, I caught my dad setting his DVR to record "A Charlie Brown Christmas." When I told him it's literally on every streaming platform, he looked at me like I'd suggested we cancel Christmas altogether.
Boomers have this bizarre attachment to recording things, even when those same things are available on-demand 24/7. They'll still pull out VHS tapes labeled "Christmas Movies 1997" in handwriting that's barely legible.
This reminds me of something I explored in my book about Buddhism and modern life. We often cling to old patterns not because they're efficient, but because they provide comfort and continuity. Still, watching my dad navigate three remotes to play a VHS tape when we could just say "Hey Google, play Elf" feels like watching someone use a map when GPS exists.
3. Insisting on real candles on the tree
This one legitimately terrifies me. Some boomers still put actual, flame-producing candles on their Christmas trees. Not LED candles that look real. Actual fire. On a dry tree. Inside their wooden house.
When you point out the fire hazard, they'll tell you about how their parents did it and "nobody ever died." That's survivorship bias at its finest, folks.
4. Making fruitcake that nobody wants
Every Christmas, without fail, my mom makes fruitcake. Not because anyone asks for it. Not because anyone eats it. But because "it's tradition."
The fruitcake sits on the counter like a festive paperweight, occasionally nibbled on out of politeness. Yet she starts soaking the fruit in brandy weeks in advance, investing more preparation time in this unwanted dessert than most people spend on their entire Christmas dinner.
Young people have figured out that tradition doesn't mean doing something nobody enjoys. We've replaced fruitcake with things people actually want to eat. Revolutionary, I know.
5. Keeping wrapping paper from 1975
My parents have a closet that's basically a wrapping paper museum. There are rolls in there older than I am. Some patterns that haven't been manufactured since the Carter administration.
They'll spend 20 minutes looking for the "good scissors" to cut this vintage paper, treating it like sacred parchment. Meanwhile, I bought a gift bag at CVS and called it wrapped.
The Buddhist concept of non-attachment that I write about in "Hidden Secrets of Buddhism: How To Live With Maximum Impact and Minimum Ego" really applies here. Sometimes letting go of old wrapping paper is just practical, not sacrilege.
6. Playing the same five Christmas albums on repeat
If I hear Andy Williams crooning about "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" one more time, I might lose it. Boomers have approximately five Christmas albums they rotate through, all recorded before 1985.
Suggesting a modern Christmas playlist or even Mariah Carey (who's been around since 1994!) gets you branded as someone who doesn't understand "real" Christmas music.
They'll physically get up to flip the vinyl record or change the CD, refusing to acknowledge that Spotify has every Christmas song ever recorded.
7. Buying gifts from actual stores
Watching my dad Christmas shop is like watching someone compete in an extreme sport. He drives to multiple malls, fights for parking, waits in massive lines, all to buy something he could have ordered online in three clicks.
When I show him how Amazon works, he worries about "supporting local businesses." Fair point, dad, but that chain department store at the mall isn't exactly a mom-and-pop shop.
8. Leaving voicemails instead of texting
"Hi honey, it's mom. Just calling to see what time you're coming for Christmas dinner. Call me back when you get this message. Oh, and bring a dessert. Love you. Bye."
This could have been a text. A simple "Dinner time? Bring dessert" would have sufficed. But boomers treat texting like it requires a computer science degree.
During the holidays, my voicemail fills up with messages that could have been answered with a thumbs up emoji.
9. Printing out recipes from the internet
My mom has a binder full of printed internet recipes. She'll find something on Pinterest, print it out, three-hole punch it, and add it to her collection.
When cooking, she'll have the physical paper out on the counter, getting splattered with ingredients, instead of just pulling it up on her phone or tablet.
The kicker? Half these recipes are from food blogs that no longer exist, so she's essentially maintaining a museum of dead internet content.
10. Taking photos with an actual camera
Every Christmas, my dad pulls out his digital camera from 2006. The one that takes memory cards and requires a special cable to transfer photos.
He'll spend January trying to figure out how to get the photos onto "the computer" and then email them individually to everyone, creating an inbox nightmare of attachments titled IMG_0234.
Meanwhile, the rest of us have already shared, edited, and posted our Christmas photos before dessert is served.
Final words
Look, I love my boomer parents and their commitment to Christmas tradition. There's something endearing about their resistance to change, their dedication to doing things the "right" way.
But as I navigate between my parents' analog Christmas and my wife's family's Vietnamese New Year celebrations (where, by the way, they've fully embraced digital red envelopes), I'm reminded that traditions evolve. What matters isn't whether you send physical cards or digital ones, whether you stream or record your Christmas specials.
What matters is the intention behind it all. The gathering, the gratitude, the generosity. Even if that generosity comes in the form of a fruitcake nobody asked for.
This Christmas, maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle. I'll sit through Andy Williams if they'll try a Spotify playlist. They can keep their vintage wrapping paper if they'll let me order their gifts online for them.
After all, the most baffling thing about Christmas isn't how different generations celebrate it. It's that despite all our differences, we keep showing up for each other, year after year, fruit cake and all.
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