One of the many things that has drastically changed in my lifetime is shopping for Christmas presents. Of course, shopping in general has changed in many ways, but those changes become a lot more apparent to me this time of year. When I was growing up, my family and I would go to the mall in November and December. All of the stores had Christmas music playing and massive displays of merchandise and signage about how it would be the perfect gift for someone in your life. People still do some of their holiday shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, but it's just not the same as it was, and it probably never will be again.
It's funny... the things that surround you in the world that you grow up in... the things that you just take for granted as a permanent part of the world that you live in... Not only are they not permanent, but they barely register a blip on the timeline.
