Dear citizenry of the year 2017,

This may come as a shock to you, but I'm writing to you from the year 2027 - exactly 10 years in the future. I realize that, at your current time, there's a lot to be worried about, from the re-emergence of white supremacy to a possible nuclear war with North Korea. Not to mention a seemingly unstoppable climate change looming over the entire planet.

And while it might not seem like it right now, I can assure you that not only is there a future ahead of you, it's a lot better than you think.

It's Christmas day here in the year 2027. My family and I were woken up by our AI assistants earlier this morning. In fact, the entire home woke up. By 6 AM, the blinds from our windows had opened, the lights in each occupied room flickered on, and a Christmas jingle started to echo throughout the entire house.

As each of us woke up, in the background, we could hear the cleaner 'bots going to work in their daily routine of keeping the house tidy. Our AI assistants would greet us with a "Good morning and Merry Christmas," followed by today's weather, the latest news briefing, and new email alerts. Over 60% of the entire world is likely waking up the same way now that over 5 billion of the global population is connected online.

As I'm writing this to you, "Operation North Pole" has already commenced - a program started by the United Nations whereby a fleet of long-distance drones travel all across the globe, delivering presents to low-income neighborhoods and developing regions. To ensure maximum efficiency in battery usage, only one of the drones in each fleet uses GPS while the others follow its lead. They're known as "Rudolph drones," on account of the fact that, at night, you can spot them by their red LED lights as they help guide their selected fleet.

Each of us is wearing Christmas sweaters that are both smart and interactive. They were early Christmas presents from my grandparents. 3D printed using conductive nanofibers which collectively play moving designs across the fabric. One is a Santa Claus flying over the night sky, another one showing a snow blizzard, while my sweater was specially designed to show my grandparents smiling and waving.

Speaking of my grandparents, they're on their way to visit from New York. They've taken the newly constructed hyperloop transport, which will land them in Washington D.C. From there, they'll take an autonomous flying taxi to reach their final destination: home. In all, the trip will take no more than an hour or so.

While unwrapping gifts is still a common tradition - personal robots, new pairs of AR specs, a makeup printer, the usual - the main highlight of the day is spending time with family. Those that were unable to make the trip check in from time to time via holo-conferencing. Think of it as Skype, only using carefully placed glass chambers along the corners of the home, of which project them in holographic form.

Which isn't to say that we don't take time to be with ourselves, lost in our gingerly engineered customs. The kids immersed in virtual worlds, hanging out with their friends from all over the planet; some are gathered together, watching the latest football game unfold on the living room table using their AR specs; others are busy in the kitchen, preparing for this evening's holiday feast (including 3D-printed deserts).

As for myself, other than writing this letter, of course, I check in on the crypto exchanges from time to time, watching as Bitcoin inches closer and closer to a valuation of $1 million-per-BTC. It comes as a result of wide-scale adoption by both businesses and the general public. The blockchain technology behind it all has already disrupted several different industries, from law firms to insurance companies. Can you believe that over 10% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) is stored on a blockchain now!?

Just in case you're wondering, we're not a religious family, though religion certainly still exists. So instead of celebrating the "birth of Jesus" for Christmas, we celebrate in thanks for our lives, for our family, and for the world we live in and its major successes, e.g., declining poverty, violence and war at an all-time low, most diseases being easily treatable now due to advancements in human gene-editing, etc.

Later tonight, we'll hail a couple of driverless vehicles to take us up the mountain in time for the holiday light show. The light show consists of thousands of small consumer drones lighting up in the night sky, of which are pre-programmed to maneuver in a way that they simulate visual (though silent) Christmas stories, from Frosty the Snowman to A Christmas Carol. They've practically replaced fireworks, considering that the drones are quieter, less polluting, and far more entertaining.

All in all, it's a busy day ahead of us. But one we'll get through together, as it should be.

A lot's changed in the last decade, as you can already tell. It's not a perfect world, but certainly a better one. It's in my hopes that, by writing to you, you'll be inspired to help build this future and make it your reality. There'll be a few bumps along the way, but trust me, humanity will ultimately thrive as per our nature. Personally, I can't wait to see what the world will look like in 10 more years - the year 2037. Can you imagine??

I've gotta run, unfortunately. I can hear the cat and our robotic dog going at it again. I hope that you find value in this letter. And if not, please do pass it along to a friend at the very least.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and don't forget: never stop dreaming of a better tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Your humble citizen of the year 2027