10 Sweet Traditions Slowly Disappearing With Younger Generations
How many of these traditions do you remember from your own childhood?
CarlosBarquero | Shutterstock.com There’s practically a million socioeconomic, technological, and even relational gaps that distinguish people in younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha from their parents’ and grandparents’ generations. None of them are necessarily better or worse, but their differences are largely influenced by changes in societal norms and expectations.
In particular, Gen Z has been characterized as the “changemaker” generation by some, as they're already leaving their impactful marks on the workplace, educational institutions, and relationship expectations as they begin to navigate early adulthood. As they discover their own ways of doing things, there are several sweet traditions slowly disappearing from the landscape.
Here are the 10 sweet traditions slowly disappearing with younger generations
1. Flowers on a first date
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With changing dating and societal norms, it’s more common for a date to show up empty handed than for them to bring a bouquet of flowers. It’s not considered a necessary sign of basic respect or etiquette anymore, especially with more people chatting with multiple people on their dating apps and going on multiple dates a week, according to the Pew Research Center.
Flowers might seem like a waste of money on a first date, especially when you have three more slots for the same week — which is largely a new societal trend that older generations aren’t as familiar with. However, on a second or third date, it might feel more accessible and acceptable to adopt the traditional practice.
2. Handwritten letters
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Along with other thank you cards and cursive practices, many younger generations like Gen Z are moving away from handwritten letters to express their love, gratitude, and thanks. Focused on convenience — and sometimes affordability — they opt for a phone call, or more reasonably, a text message over handwritten items.
Experts even suggest that Gen Zers are more well-versed and generally better text communicators than written ones, largely due to this shift in educational priorities and communication practices. While the trend of handwritten letters is having a small resurgence, there’s nothing that could replace the sheer convenience of a text message for this generation of digital natives.
3. Traditional dining etiquette for meals
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According to author Clare Finney at Vogue, table manners and basic dining etiquette aren’t going away completely, they’re just changing on a household and societal level. As new generations bring technology and new slang to the dinner table, there’s inevitably going to be changes in the rules and expectations parents have.
So, no, they might not be actively policing where the silverware sits next to the plate or their children's elbows on the table, but they definitely are badgering them to put their phones away or chew with their mouth closed.
4. Thank you cards
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Many people have almost completely stopped the practice of sending thank you cards, especially handwritten ones after parties, events, and receiving gifts. While many express gratitude in other ways that benefit their wellbeing, this is one of the specific sweet traditions slowly disappearing with younger generations.
In addition to general handwritten items, many public schools have also largely standardized their lessons and curriculums on testing, starting with the removal of cursive from the Common Core curriculum across the country in 2010. So, not only are Gen Zers not writing handwritten thank you cards, they’re not learning cursive at all compared to older generations that were (forced) to.
5. Reading a print newspaper in the morning
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While print newspapers are slowly becoming “cool” again, according to the Columbia Journalism Review, and making a bit of a resurgence, the majority of people aren’t reading one every morning the way people in older generations did religiously.
According to the Pew Research Center, many people are still engaging in a similar ritual each morning, reading online news or digital versions of newspapers, even if they’re not buying and reading a paper version.
6. Owning a home
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According to an IPX 1031 survey, nearly 63% of Americans can’t afford to buy a home, with a staggering 87% of those who are unable to do so being Gen Zers. Not only are Gen Zers living paycheck-to-paycheck at much higher rates than older generations, despite holding the same (if not more) entry-level jobs, internships, and side hustles than they did at the same age, they’re struggling with long-term financial goals and investments like contributing money to a savings account.
While institutions like Chase Bank urge consumers to only spend around 30% of their paychecks on rent every month, more than 40% of individuals are also spending more than 40% of their entire monthly income on rent. So, no, younger generations aren’t making a “choice” to not buy a house, especially if they could actually invest their money into rather than spending on rent, it’s simply impossible for many with their current financial situation.
7. Formal and ‘professional’ clothing
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Whether it’s changing norms for “business casual” clothing or the tendency for white sneakers to substitute any other footwear alternative for formal or professional events, the new generation of workers and professionals are largely disregarding traditional dress wear expectations.
Even in their personal lives, the “athleisure” trend has taken off, with more people prioritizing comfort in their wardrobe than anything else — even to the point of wearing sweat suits out of the house.
While it’s generally a positive sign that workers and peers are more comfortable, as it tends to support higher rates of happiness and productivity at work, according to a study out of Oxford, many older generations consider formalwear to be one of the sweet traditions slowly disappearing with younger generations.
8. Picking up your date
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With accessibility to online horror stories and dating safety precautions, especially for women, the once-sweet tradition of picking up a first date in your car has slowly disappeared from modern dating culture. According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of online users under 30 have used dating apps, but less than 50% consider them safe.
This emergence of dating apps and social media dating requires extra vigilance, as there are more safety concerns than ever, especially for women.
9. Family dinners
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How many families today are actually sitting down together at the end of every day and having a family dinner? The truth is: not many. According to a YouGov survey, only 29% of families in 2019 were sitting down for a family dinner every single day.
While it might seem like a societal trend, intensely focused on convenience, or a matter of changing values and beliefs, it’s more generally a problem of time, money, and energy. Many families, even in the once-comfortable middle class, are working multiple jobs and longer hours just to pay their basic necessities and bills. They hardly have the extra money to pay for their groceries, let alone spend the time cooking, setting the table, and finding time for everyone to eat together every single day.
10. Drive-in movie theaters
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Despite there having been an estimated 4,000 drive-in movie theaters across the United States just a few decades ago, according to The United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association, as of 2021, there were only an estimated 318 remaining. So, while drive-ins were once a sense of community — or a “third place” — for Gen Xers and baby boomers, younger generations today are almost solely connecting with people on their phones.
The disappearance of “third places” for social and community interaction isn’t limited to only drive-in theaters. Rather, it’s largely an accessibility problem for many people, from coffee shops to public parks and more.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.