It seems as though, nowadays, traditions are dwindling as technology takes over.

Delilah explains how things used to be more simple, but with the increase in technology, the days seem to fly by faster than ever.

A couple weeks ago I met a few friends for lunch and we got to talking about simpler times, how we actually survived doing the dishes by hand, and only having one phone in the house, which was attached to a cord, so you couldn't go very far with it. The holidays had handmade decorations, and this was before we had the Internet for homemade inspiration. Our ideas came from our grandparents or older folks who thought we young people were going about life too fast; to them we had TV and that was almost cheating! I guess they could sense that tradition was falling by the wayside -- and it turns out they were right.
The more progressive we get, the more we tend to disregard the deep history of how we used to celebrate the holidays, when it was far less focused on shopping lists than it was on being with family. We made the effort to travel and visit with relatives because that was oftentimes the only time you saw them. There was no Internet, no Skype, no email, no social media...and we only had a few hours to visit and share stories and laugh and pull out photo books. Those times spent connecting face to face were some of the best I remember.
Nowadays, you would think technology could give us more time but the holidays go faster than ever. Maybe it's because we have more distractions. Maybe it's because we feel compelled to keep up with all the modern holiday luxuries we see online. We feel the need to hurry and shop, hurry and bake, decorate, address holiday cards, participate in holiday events, post pictures on Facebook, put on a happy face and celebrate our accomplishments -- leaving us dog tired and dreading next year.
Maybe we should listen to those who lived without technology and thrived on nothing but family. Maybe we should look beyond how much things cost and equate our gift giving with how much love is in the thought, or simply gather with family and friends and truly cherish how blessed we are, even in the darkest times. Maybe, we trust in a higher power and know that we are loved deeply and given much.
We don't need to move so fast and do so much this time of year. We don't need the newest and best or biggest and most expensive. What we need is more time to enjoy this season with our loved ones. We need more peace in our lives, and love.

What do YOU do to keep your traditions going? Comment below!

Rachel Specht contributed to this post

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