I know it’s a pretty odd thing for someone in our industry to say, but I don’t watch that much TV. On any given weeknight, you’re more likely to find me listening to an audiobook or podcast and making something in my craft room than you are to find me scrolling through our TiVo.

TV is something that I tend to binge-watch when I’m sick or feeling run-down.

(I probably watch too many weekend morning cartoons with my daughter, but that’s a different story).

One time that you will find me in front of our television, however, is Friday evening. That’s family movie night. And it’s sacrosanct. We don’t plan our lives around it, but if we’re at home? We’re eating takeout and we’re watching a movie. As a family.

If I even think about pulling out my laptop, my four-year-old daughter lets me know that’s not acceptable.

Family movie night is one of my fondest childhood memories. We mostly watched old timey musicals, and there was always microwave popcorn. The AV gear wasn’t as good as what we have now, but the same communal spirit was there. As the years went on and our family blended, my step-brother and step-sister introduced us to their favorite childhood movies. The Last Starfighter was a hit. Willow? Not as much.

(My sisters and I had some odd tastes.)

These days, we get our movies from Netflix or Amazon instead of Blockbuster. But, we still sit together and watch as a family. Which is why, every time someone says the future is all about small screens and not one big one, I get a little pang of sadness. If we’re all just watching on our iPads in the future, we lose that communal experience.

(I’d also argue that we also lose that immersive experience.)

What I love about our industry is that we’re all about connecting people. It’s both literal (conferencing technology) and figurative (common spaces). There are so many ways that things are changing. And so many new ways to bring people together. I just hope that there will always be a place for family movie night.