Some Boomer-era home habits have quietly faded out with each new generation. Others get brought up at every single holiday dinner, defended with the same confidence they had the first time the choice was made, decades ago and counting.

These aren’t necessarily the wrong calls, but they’re the ones most likely to spark a genuinely spirited debate at the table. Here are six that come up almost every time.

Carpet Over Hardwood Floors

Many Boomers installed wall-to-wall carpet directly over perfectly good hardwood, valuing the warmth, sound dampening, and softness underfoot over the wood’s natural appearance. Decades later, some of those original floors are being uncovered and refinished to real acclaim. Still, plenty of Boomers will defend the original carpet choice at length, pointing out that a warm floor in a cold climate mattered more to daily comfort than whatever was hiding underneath it.

A Landline “Just in Case the Power Goes Out”

Even as landline ownership has steadily declined for years, plenty of Boomers keep one specifically as an emergency backup, reasoning that a corded phone still works during a power outage when a cell tower or home router might not. It’s a genuinely fair point about basic corded phones needing no external power source. Gen Z tends to push back that a charged phone and a portable battery pack cover the same emergency need without a monthly bill attached.

Keeping the Thermostat Set Low in Winter

A house kept noticeably cooler than guests expect, sweaters recommended at the door, is a classic Boomer household signature, defended firmly as both a real money-saver and a genuinely healthier way to sleep. Energy costs do add up meaningfully over a winter season. Gen Z visitors tend to counter that a slightly higher heating bill is worth not needing a blanket to sit through Thanksgiving dinner at the table.

One Shared Family Television

Rather than a TV in every bedroom, some Boomer households stuck with a single shared television in the main living area, arguing it kept the family actually together in one room instead of scattered off watching separate shows. There’s a real, defensible point about shared screen time building more family connection. Gen Z, raised with a personal device for every family member, generally sees individual access as more practical than a philosophical stance worth enforcing.

A Real Christmas Tree Over Artificial

Many Boomers remain firmly loyal to a real, cut Christmas tree every year, citing the genuine pine scent and tradition of an annual trip to pick one out as irreplaceable parts of the holiday. It’s a defense rooted entirely in sentiment and experience rather than convenience. Gen Z’s counterargument usually centers on cost and cleanup, favoring a reusable artificial tree that doesn’t shed needles or need replacing annually, even if it can’t match the smell.

Line-Drying Laundry Instead of Using the Dryer

Hanging laundry outside on a clothesline, weather permitting, remains a genuine point of pride for some Boomers, who’ll defend it as both cheaper and gentler on fabric than a machine dryer, with the added bonus of that specific sun-dried smell no dryer sheet fully replicates. It’s a habit with real merit behind it. Gen Z, often living without outdoor space for a clothesline in the first place, tends to view the practice more as a nice idea than a realistic daily option.