Arguably one of the finest scenes in Mad Men, this explanation of the Kodak Carousel could not be infused with more emotion, relate-able imagery, and a marketing pitch so powerful, even one of Don Drapers own team couldn’t stay in the room without exposing his tears.

I recently made a move from one coast to another and touched 2 large boxes of carousel trays. I tasked my daughter with emptying the slides into boxes and getting rid of the trays.

As she stopped to look at each image, questioning where I was for each frame, I realized again what the power was of these single images. Not shown on a phone, not shown on a screen, she was on the floor holding up the images to light to see what each little Kodachrome cardboard frame held.

The shards of my life came falling out of envelopes and boxes, with various eras highlighted by those who were around me most.

Don Draper likened the carousel as the perfect medium to go backwards and forwards. Like a time machine. And he was right. I’ve saved one carousel and the projector, and have put them in storage, because we do move on technologically.

But the nostalgia is always with us, whether it’s a framed photo, a family album or a vine vid.

Apple has hit on this large with this touching commercial:

The technology is simple by current standards, but the impact is huge.

This time of the year, you don’t need to get hung up on any prescribed celebrations. Consider it just a time to take stock and be happy for what you have, and the people around you. Or those that are gone.

Connect to your family, your friends, and your life, with shared images of your lives.

Maybe it’s the old photo you found that you post on Facebook. and see who relates or remembers. Or the photo of that child seeing a Christmas tree for the first time. Or that shot in front of the landmark that the stranger took.

People relate, and are either part of that past, or know the feeling when that shutter was pressed.

Share those photos this season. Be that person. Everyone has an archivist in their lives.

Maybe that’s you.

It used to be “you snap the picture and we’ll do the rest”.

I think it always was “you supply the memory, and we’ll help you save it.”