As time goes on, many cherished traditions tend to fade away, and this is sad, especially for Boomers, who have long valued preserving these customs. Today, we’ll be taking a moment to reflect on the Boomer traditions that may disappear and will be missed the most.
Physical Photo Albums
Perhaps the most tragic boomer tradition that we will lose this decade is physical photo albums, which were once cherished keepsakes. We spent hours upon hours flicking through these physical albums with our relatives, but these days, we rarely do, as everything’s online. It’s certainly not as romantic as flicking through an album, but the infinite storage and cloud-based location will inevitably render physical albums useless.
Formal Dining Rooms
As boomers, we used to cherish spending time with our families in formal dining spaces, getting our best china and glasses out for the occasion. However, these days, formal spaces are seen as quite old-fashioned and are rarer around the house, as are formal family dinners. As this continues to change, it won’t be long until fancy dining room spaces are gone for good.
Physical Maps
There’s no denying that using a physical map was a complete nightmare, as it would constantly fold over in the wind when you needed it the most. However, they were your only option, and they actually worked very well once you knew what you were doing. Sadly, though, digital maps are far more convenient in every way, and they’re included on everyone’s phones, too, making physical maps completely redundant.
Landline Phones
Even if you are a boomer, it’s unlikely that you’ve used a landline phone anytime recently. They were not long essential for our phone calls, but since smartphones and internet-based communication came along, they’re actually pretty rare. They can still be found in rural areas, but as CNN reports, they’ll no doubt be gone completely within a few years.
Handwritten Letters
One of the boomers’ favorite traditions has always been handwritten letters, something they have used for communication for their entire lives. There has always been something special about such notes that feel soaked in authentic emotion, love, and connection. Sadly, though, even boomers rarely write them anymore, so they’ll likely be gone for good pretty soon.
Cable TV Subscriptions
Despite not long being a staple in every household, cable TV is losing its appeal, even to boomers. Streaming services and other online platforms are providing modern, on-demand alternatives for us to watch our favorite shows, making traditional cable subscriptions less attractive. It just doesn’t have the convenience or variety that we need, so we’d be surprised if it survives another decade.
Newspaper Subscriptions
Due to the rise of digital news, physical newspaper publishers have already been falling behind for well over a decade. Even we boomers haven’t picked up a newspaper in years, choosing the convenience of online scrolling instead. Sadly, this can only mean one thing–it’s only a matter of time until the charm of the paper newspaper subscription is gone for good.
Church Weddings
Many people are failing to realize that church weddings are on their way out, despite being incredibly common not so long ago. Nowadays, many couples are opting for non-religious venues and personalized ceremonies. These changing societal values and preferences are contributing to the decline of traditional church weddings, and as a result, they’ll likely die out when we boomers are gone.
Dressing Up for Flights
Young people will be shocked to learn that we boomers once dressed up in our fanciest clothes when we were taking a flight. We had to make sure we looked nice when boarding, but that’s pretty much gone. Casual attire is now widely accepted for air travel, prioritizing comfort over formality, so while some people do still make an effort, it won’t be long until this tradition has completely vanished.
Film Cameras
Once a primary tool for photography, film cameras were largely replaced by digital cameras and smartphones throughout the ‘00s and ‘10s. Interestingly, boomers have seen Gen Z gain an interest in analog film, briefly resulting in Polaroid becoming trendy again. However, we anticipate that this will be short-lived because, ultimately, our smartphone cameras are so much better and more convenient to use.
Collecting Fine China
We briefly mentioned how fine china was once brought out for formal dinner occasions, and without those events happening, there’s no need for fine china. It’s sad to see, as it was once a true symbol of elegance and status, but young people just don’t seem to care about it. Unfortunately, we boomers cannot see them continuing the tradition beyond this decade, even if we asked them to.
Reading Physical Books
Boomers love trying out technology, and we have to say we’re impressed by the revolution of e-readers and e-books. However, let’s be honest–they’re just not the same as a physical book, and it’s rare to see Gen Z or even millennials reading a physical book anymore. They’ll never appreciate the feeling of holding a good book in their hands, a tradition that will soon disappear for good.
Mall Shopping
In the ‘90s, heading out to shop at the mall was not just an excuse for a trip, but it was a popular pastime. Boomers would meet up, grab coffee, and then hit the shops. It was more of a social occasion because sometimes, we didn’t even buy anything. Sadly, kids don’t experience this these days, as all their shopping is done online, which is pretty boring (albeit convenient).
Impromptu Visits
Nowadays, if you want to visit a friend, it’s polite to inform them in advance, telling them exactly when to expect you. We never bothered all that in the past, as we boomers would simply turn up at our friend’s house, and it was never any hassle. They’d put the kettle on, and we’d share some cookies over gossip, a cherished tradition that will surely be gone very soon.
Rotary Phones
Ask anyone from Gen Z, and we can guarantee they’ve never used a rotary phone–after all, they would have no reason to. Despite these phones once being household staples, they’ve been redundant for decades. Even millennials have rarely used them, growing up on landlines and smartphones, so it won’t be long until rotary phones disappear completely, even as decorations.
Using Travel Agents
If you want to head on vacation nowadays, it’s actually very simple to do so; you can book your transport, accommodation, and even your activities online without having to rely on the assistance of travel agents. In the past, we wouldn’t dream of booking a holiday without an agent assisting us, which just goes to show how times change so fast.
Cursive Writing
Due to the boom of digital typing, there is little need for cursive writing, a skill that we boomers honed with great practice in our school years. We practiced it so much that we became experts, developing our own cursive style. However, it’s simply not necessary anymore, with countless children never needing to use a pen at all, so it won’t be long until cursive writing is gone for good.
Traditional Office Hours
If you told us boomers a couple of decades ago that traditional office hours would soon be a thing of the past, we would never have believed you. It’s true, though–everyone seems to work around the clock these days, as emails are quick to reply to with a click of a button. There’s something sad about this, though, because it’s as if Gen Z never gets complete freedom from work.