How did they do it?

I am referring to our mothers, who independently created 'the holidays.' They did not have:
*instant gingerbread house kits (question: do all boys get fallen gb houses out of the garbage and eat? maybe it's just us)
*amazon. com and the internet with free shipping
* shrubbery net lights that are just 'tossed' onto the foundation plants
*email holiday cards
*'pick up' holiday dinners, everything from the turkey to the dessert
*gift cards for every venue that can be purchased at the grocery store checkout lane
* access to every recipe on earth via the www
* address labels, printers, etc. for addressing holiday cards (yet they still did!)

I know there are more . . . tell me your thoughts.