At Christmas Dinner, My Dad Handed Out 37 Gifts—Then Told My Daughter She Wasn’t “On the List.” I Just Said, “Okay. Goodbye.” Minutes Later, A Call Asked: “Can You Confirm the Cancellation?”

“‘My Christmas With Family,’” she said proudly. “Mrs. Anderson said we should capture real moments with our families and share them with the class. She showed us how to use the record button on the app. It’s easy. I set the tablet in the hall on that little table so it could see everybody. I wanted to show my class how we do dessert at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”

I glanced at the screen. In the corner was a little red circle pulsing softly, and next to it the word “LIVE.” Below that, tiny profile icons and comments floated up in a steady stream. There were names of classmates, a few that looked like parents, and a viewer count that was already over one hundred.

My heart skipped a beat.

“Lily, honey,” I said carefully, “have you been recording for a while?”

She nodded.

“Since before we came in,” she said. “I wanted to show my class how we do dessert at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I set the tablet in the hall on that little table so it could see everybody.”