Put the phones down: A holiday AI game from The Current

December 24, 2025

By Kim Komando

Christmas is finally here. The table is set, the food is ready, and everyone you love is in one place. And as you look around, half the room is staring at a screen. Bummer.

I get it. Phones are always within reach. But make this holiday one of those rare moments when being present matters more than anything popping up on a screen.

Here’s a simple idea to put phones down and pull real stories out of the people sitting right in front of you. I call it… 

🤑 The Cost-of-Living Game

Ask everyone to place their phones face down in the middle of the table. Just for a few minutes. Then grab one phone, open ChatGPT or Gemini, and use it together.

Type this prompt:

“Give me a brief, fun cost-of-living snapshot for the year ____. Include the price of a gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, a gallon of gas, a new car, a midsize home and a movie ticket. Also tell me the number one song and most popular movie from that year.”

Pick a year that matters to someone at the table. Before you read the answers, ask everyone to guess one price. Gas usually gets the biggest reaction.

🪄 Watch the magic unfold

The numbers turn into stories. Someone remembers their first car. Someone else talks about a tiny apartment they loved. You’ll hear things you’ve never heard before, even from people you’ve known your whole life.

If you can, prop up a phone and quietly hit record. Not for social media. For you. Years from now, you won’t care what gas cost in 1978. You’ll care about the laughter and the voices.

If you’re spending Christmas Eve quietly, this still works. FaceTime a friend or family member, and look up the year you met. Or record yourself talking about the year you were born, and send the stories to your kids or grandkids.

👩‍🍳 I’m also in my kitchen

Christmas Eve is about the moments that matter, even the quiet ones. In my house, that means me making chicken pot pies for all the adults and kids, a tradition I look forward to every single year.

After dinner, we’ll pile onto the couch and watch The Polar Express. It’s one of those movies that never gets old, no matter how many times you’ve seen it.

Once everyone heads home and the house gets quiet, it’s me time. I’ll wrap the last presents and clean up the kitchen with the pope’s Mass from the Vatican playing in the background. It’s my favorite way to slow down, reflect and remember the true reason for the season: the birth of our Lord.

💝 However you’re celebrating tonight, I hope it’s filled with peace, gratitude and a little extra joy. If you’re alone, here’s a virtual hug from me. Merry Christmas to you and yours.