Are people still doing that? My wife didn't immediately jump on that particular bandwagon, but once she did she'd rely fairly heavily on my memory as we did the "year in review" thing. From my perspective it merely added to the pressures associated with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, none of which I'm fond of anyway. She stopped including that letter almost immediately after becoming part of the Facebook crowd, as did most of our family and friends, so I assumed that had become the "new normal"--no need for a summary review at the end of the year if you're getting live updates on social media daily.
vainly tried to talk him out of it,
Ice cream is another product that has seen a sneaky decrease in packaging size. Ice cream used to be sold in half-gallon cartons, a full 64 fluid ounces. Packaging has shrunk to a standard 48 ounce carton, but the consumer still associates that with the old "half-gallon". Blue Bell Ice Cream (from Brenham, Texas), one of the reasons we stay alive, makes a big deal that they still sell a full half-gallon. They even mark it on the label:
As for cookies, I switched to Fig Newtons a long time ago, and I can honestly say I'm a better man for it.
Yes. The packaging now includes a plastic tray that holds the cookies in two rows, and in the process occupies space that used to be occupied by more cookies. The package itself is not much more than a plastic envelope with a "resealable" top that rarely, if ever, actually reseals well enough to provide an air-tight seal to keep the cookies fresh if you don't finish eating them within a few days. That being said, this is pretty much how nearly all cookies are packaged these days unless you buy them in bulk at one of the "big box" stores.
Small thing that annoys me: Grown ups whizzing around on kid's scooters. I just want to say "You're an adult now. Please try to act like one." (Followed by a brisk but grumpy "and get off my lawn!") At first I thought it was a "Hipster" thing, but recent sightings do not necessarily support that theory.
My sister called last week, my eighteen year old nephew wants to enlist in the Army, and go Ranger;
argued for university instead but the kid isn't listening...
Alden 403 Moc Toe Boot - Brown Chromexcel - $680 The classic "Indy" style Alden Boot in the classic Horween brown Chromexcel. 
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - #395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. 
Himel Bros. - The Ross Mk. 1 Leather Jacket Classic D-pocket motorcycle/aviator style jacket.
Oh dear. Looks straight out of Shoreditch, the Hipster Capital of London: there's even a 'silicon roundabout'. It was more interesting and more real when it was a working-class area.Funnily, that thing seems to be long gone, in old Germany. I remember this trend maybe ten to fifteen years ago, but curiously, it disappeared and was replaced by classic bicycle.
Now hipsterism:
