When Kids Ask What Christmas Was Like in the 1900s

Over the last family weekend, my nephews asked all of us what it was like growing up in Oklahoma in the 1900s.

Yeah. That's a heavy sentence to say out loud.

Once we realized they weren't just being sarcastic, it was a fun family moment. Sitting around with my sisters and their husbands, swapping stories, I caught myself unlocking a memory I hadn’t touched in years. I remember asking our parents and grandparents what life was like back in the 50s and 60s, listening like they were describing life on a whole other planet.

It's A Normal Holiday Cycle

Even though the 90s are now officially “a long time ago,” the overlap between my childhood and my nephews’ lives is weirdly strong. Different packaging, same core ideas.

The big toys were video games. Action figures mattered. Remote control cars were elite. My generation was deep into Batman and Ninja Turtles. Their generation is all Marvel Avengers… and somehow still Ninja Turtles. Some things just refuse to die, and honestly, I respect that.

Legos are still undefeated as a gift. That part hasn’t changed at all. But everything around them has.

Nintendo turned into a PS5. Game Boy became a Switch. Kids want laptops and TVs now, which feels futuristic, but also familiar enough that it’s not so alien. It’s like all of the big asks just grew up and got a Wi-Fi password.

Even me and my siblings are all of different generations, there were moments where we all nodded at the same memories.

Different Decades, Same Feeling

Life really is cyclical like that.