Older Adults Are Sharing Outdated Traditions They Wish Would Make A Comeback, And I Think I Can Get Behind These 23 Ideas
Recently, I asked members of our BuzzFeed Community to tell me some older traditions they wish would make a comeback. Some of these are traditional traditions, and some are better described as somewhat outdated practices; but either way, let's bring 'em back! Here are some of the best:
1."I wish handwritten thank-you notes for gifts would come back — it helps you know the gift was received and acknowledged."
"Also, children’s groups randomly caroling during Christmas holidays."
—Anonymous
2."I’m a teacher: physically writing down notes."
"Not typing them on a laptop. Not even writing them on an iPad. No, it makes it easier to recall if you’ve physically written down the information."
—Anonymous
3."Traditional animation."
Interim Archives / Getty Images, Earl Theisen Collection / Getty Images
"I miss the levels of skill, patience, and storytelling that went into making an animated movie or a Saturday morning cartoon. No disrespect to Pixar or Dreamworks, but damn! I miss the actual blood, sweat, and tears that elevated it to an art form."
—Anonymous
4."Civility and manners."
5."I work at a Victorian-inspired soda fountain that just opened up downtown in my area. I certainly hope those become popular again."
6."As both an artist and an avid reader, I miss the beautifully illustrated children’s books that were available in my childhood, from The Wind In The Willows (and other books of that era) to the highly entertaining sketches for The Horse With No Head with line illustrations of the poor street kids of a French town and their adventures with a battered metal horse on wheels and a gang of thieves."
"I wanted to illustrate books, but had to settle for filmstrips as styles had changed by the time I’d begun my career. I did enjoy doing Kipling, Dracula, and other classics for quite a while."
7."Handwriting practice and formal dinner hours where everyone sits at the table."
8."I miss the early days of cell phones when people still talked on the phone, texting wasn’t as common (or even costed minutes), and there were no apps or internet access."
"It’s like we were connected but not too connected. Although I would add modern-day Google maps to the mix because I have no sense of direction. 😅"
9."Phone calls, playing outside, reading a whole magazine, swinging by your friend's house if you're close by, getting lost in the library, watching one episode and anticipating the next one, movie and snack nights...so many things. I try to stick to the simpler time of my '80s-'90s childhood because I really feel happier there."
10."Drive-in movies."
11."Common sense."
"I'm a Boomer, and in my lifetime, common sense has never been a tradition. Unfortunately."
12."Social media is unrecognizable from its early days. I think we need to go back to having a bit of mystery about ourselves and not overshare."
Erik Freeland / Corbis via Getty Images, Vcg / VCG via Getty Images
"The more we share online (or even worse try to influence) the more disconnected we're getting from each other, the physical world, and the community. People are lonelier and more depressed living through our phones."
13."I'd like to see only humans in stores, as many dog owners behave like smokers did in the past and do not care that their dogs cause others a health risk."
—Anonymous
14."To all grandchildren and great grandchildren: Thank-you notes!"
"The receiver did the right thing and the giver is acknowledged for their generosity. It makes the world a better place."
—Anonymous
15."Sleepovers. They are a thing of the past. I understand the paranoia, but there was nothing better than a sleepover. I am so glad I got to experience many of these."
—Anonymous
16."I enjoy streaming and binge watching, but I think I was happier waiting to catch the next episode and with fewer choices, media consumption was more of a shared experience."
"We have nostalgia for movies in the '90s, but were the movies actually better, or were we less burdened by options?
I love that more voices are telling their stories but as I spend countless hours with a screen in front of me, I've lost appreciation for movies and TV. The stakes are low because it's so easy to watch stuff. I think we need to earn it again — e.g., go to the movie theater, and if we miss it, wait for the video rental to be released. Schedule catching the newest episode, if we miss it wait until summer reruns."
17."Shame, just bring shame back."
18."Wearing hats. Men and women. Hats make an outfit. Hats add sophistication."
Florilegius / Florilegius/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, Hulton Archive / Getty Images
19."Cards. Christmas, birthday, Valentine’s Day, just because, you name it. "
"I do it, and it’s fun for me to pick out that cheap 98-cent card for a close friend or family member just to say I love them and remembered them on this random St. Patrick’s Day, lol. I do it for the adults and their kids, because why not? Yes, stamps are expensive, but sometimes I just drop it in their mailbox when I know I’ll be close."
20."Phone calls! Hear me out..."
"I'm an elder millennial and was too quick to embrace texting myself. It allowed me to be thoughtful and give better responses. But I now realize that the closeness was built on in-person interaction and phone calls themselves, which allowed the texts to be effective. Once in a while, we should call and let our voice carry the emotions, tone, and context better than texts do."
21."We should bring back long TV theme songs that told the premise of the show."
"Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, Fresh Prince, The Brady Bunch — the bonding of our future generations is being lost! The art of saying a few lines and instantly a room full of strangers were connected. It's sad that a lot of people reading this are wondering what these songs are!"
—Anonymous
22."Staying outside to play more. I think the whole stranger danger panic has made some people genuinely terrified to have their kids out of the house."
"Don't get me wrong, as a child I loved watching TV, but my sister and I were encouraged to play outside, be physical, or play pretend to entertain ourselves.
We would go for walks in the woods often with our dog, ride our bikes, or go swimming. Even if I was indoors, most of the time I was reading a book. Parents nowadays just plop a phone in their kids' hands and as a result, kids don't know how to use their imagination or entertain themselves.
There's also the issue of parents being so concerned about their kids hurting themselves that they don't let them do ANYTHING! Let your kids roller skate. Let them play sports. Let them go to the playground. You're literally smothering your child's developmentally to death."
—Anonymous
23.And finally: "Birthday parties at home, with classic games like hot potato, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, or musical chairs."
"Kids LOVE that, yet we think we have to pay for an extravagant venue to entertain. I do the at-home parties, and they are unique since everyone else chooses those expensive venues."
—Anonymous
So, do you agree or disagree with these? Let me know in the comments below. Or, feel free to share your own opinion on an outdated tradition that needs to make a comeback!
If you want to write in your opinion but prefer to stay anonymous, feel free to check out this Google form! Who knows — your answer may end up in an upcoming BuzzFeed article.
Note: Some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.
