Just Try Not to Laugh at How Different Holidays Were for Moms in the '80s Compared to Today

With the holiday hoopla in full effect, it seems fitting to take a trip down memory lane for a look at how moms celebrated Christmas in holidays past. Mom bloggers Tiffany Jenkins and Meredith Masony collaborated for a hilarious parody video poking fun at how differently moms handled the holidays in 1988. Lucky for them, Pinterest had yet to exist.

The video opens with the 2018 mom (Jenkins) eagerly whipping up some cookies from scratch for the highly-anticipated cookie swap. It then flashes to a scene of the 1988 mom (Masony) setting up a table full of store-bought Entenmann’s and fruitcake treats.

Back to Jenkins, who is now going down a deep, deep rabbit hole of present-wrapping tutorials for Insta-worthy looks. Meanwhile, Masony is loving the use of gift bags this year—so much more time on her hands!

Life also seems to be simpler for kids of the 1980s than those of today. The two moms glaze over their kids’ wish lists, and the 2018 list looks a little something like this:

• Nintendo Switch
• Trampoline
• Air Jordans
• Hoverboard
• An excursion to the Galapagos Islands

While the 1988 kid put one thing on the list—a Nintendo—Masony made the executive decision that’d she’d be gifting socks and underwear.

The video also pokes fun at the millions of all-consuming worries today’s parents face. Jenkins explains why she could never get her kids a trampoline because of all the scary studies available on the dangers of jumping up and down. And before any of her kids go outside, she makes sure they are bundled in layers and layers of protective warmth.

But turn to Masony, and she happily sends her kids on their way out the door, with the only advice being not to get frostbite.

A lot has changed since 1988—some for better and some for worse. The bloggers’ video allows parents to laugh at their own expense, and marvel at just how different things were three decades ago.