December 20, the last working week before Christmas and the tail end of the 1980s.
On this day in California, the festive atmosphere was visibly dense, with Christmas trees, Santa Claus costumes, and long stockings prominently displayed in shop windows.
The supermarkets were also packed with adults pushing shopping carts, selecting Christmas gifts. Children had been looking forward to this holiday for a month, and no matter how the year had gone, they at least deserved a happy Christmas.
Bob Metcalfe had the same intention, although he was now the esteemed founder and director of 3COM, he still planned to personally choose the Christmas gifts for his children.
But before that, he needed to complete his last piece of work on the last working day of the year, having lunch with venture capitalists from Mayfield.
