Inspired by the novella ‘A Christmas Carol’, written by Charles Dickens in 1843, I have dealt with Christmas Present, and Christmas Past.
But what of ‘Christmas Yet To Come’?
At my age, I don’t know how many more Christmases I will be around for. But I suspect they will start to feel very different from those that went before. I am not really predicting anything, but I do have some thoughts on how that difference might show itself.
Online shopping will dominate of course. It already does that, but there is every chance that physical shops will cease to exist. The sending of Christmas cards will be a thing of the past too. With younger people having little or no experience of sending letters and cards, added to the increased costs of posting them, that tradition will be consigned to history, I am sure.
Home TV screens are certain to get bigger too. Being able to stream anything on demand will put an end to the usual batch of TV ‘Specials’ that I grew up with, and are still around today. That might actually be a good thing. Those big screens will also allow more virtual contact with friends and relatives in real time, meaning that you could feasibly have a Christmas celebration electronically, without leaving your home.
And as Global Warming becomes more apparent, and the ‘carbon footprint’ of travelling has greater impact, flying around the world to see family members or enjoy seasonal holiday breaks will also become a memory.
Then there is the preparation and cooking of food. It can’t be that long before a turkey dinner with all the trimmings will be able to be delivered to your door in twenty minutes. Delivery companies will add extras like Christmas Cake, Yule Log, and Mince Pies to their menus, and probably even supply any booze you want too. You will able to click a few boxes on a Phone App, and set the table ready to hear the doorbell ring.
The virtual aspect of life might well extend to religious services too. Why go out in the cold to sit in a draughty church, when that can all come to you on your 100-inch TV? That’s if there is anyone left who still remembers it is a religious festival of course.
I won’t be around to see all of this, but I might still be alive for some of it.
What about you? How do you see Chrsitmas changing? Or perhaps you don’t think it will.
Let me know in the comments.
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