We have had an obscene amount of technology within our reach for quite some time. People everywhere are constantly on their phones looking at photos, talking to people across the country etc. in seconds with the touch of a button. While all of that is great, it takes away the value of being with someone face to face and making memories.

I don't know about you, but I don't want every Christmas or holiday memory to have holes in it because I was busy uploading photos or posting a status update about the food. I want to be able to look back on time with my family and remember as much of it as I possibly can.

Have you ever noticed that you can't remember an entire section of your day or what you may have discussed with someone because you had your phone in your hands? I'll admit that sometimes I blank on an entire day's events because I was using my phone while everything was going on.

Sometimes I'll be on my phone so much it dies halfway through the day and then I am visibly lost for the rest of the day because I've missed too much of what's going on to catch up, but I no longer have my phone to engage with. Then it's just awkward.

The more I think about this the more the idea of leaving my phone at home or turning it off on Christmas appeals to me. This is the second Christmas I will be spending with my boyfriend and to be honest I don't remember much of our first Christmas together because we were on our phones the entire time.

That combined with the fact that he's spending Christmas with my family for the first time, I don't want to miss out on what could be incredible memories and moments. I want to be able to look back on my holiday and remember all of it.

I know that sometimes in holidays or family gatherings, there can be conflict. Sometimes that weird uncle that no one likes says something out of left field that leaves grandma reeling. It happens. Who wouldn't want the safety and security of their cell phone to hide behind in that time?

But sometimes it's the hard moments that make or break a family. Those are the things I want to be able to remember. All of it. The big and the small, the good and the bad. Christmas is about magic and joy and togetherness. Not recording it all just so you can kind of remember it a few years later because you didn't actually live it.

I want to remember everything so that years from now when I have children or maybe when I'm by myself thinking about the holidays, I can relive the memories and really reminisce through my own point of view, not through a cellphone.