It’s that time of the year where everyone is decking up their houses with lights, decorations and posters, buying their very own pine trees to bejewel with ornaments of all kinds and parents bustling through stores (or through the websites online) to buy their children gifts for the most ‘magical’ day of the year. But something seems familiar doesn’t it? A wistful sort of melancholic undertone to the celebrations: That is what we would call the feeling of ‘nostalgia’.
Films, tv shows and musicals make up a great part of the nostalgic appeal during the holiday season. There are countless forms of entertainment during this time but one which takes the cake is watching movies with loved ones, cuddled up on the couch with plentiful snacks and mugs of hot chocolate seems to be an ideal winter time activity to people who may not gravitate towards the outdoorsy side of the winter season. But before we delve into the finer details of the nostalgic feeling of the holidays, let’s revisit the definition of nostalgia. The Oxford dictionary defines nostalgia as “a feeling of sadness mixed with pleasure and affection when you think of happy times in the past”. Keeping this in mind, let’s shift over to how this emotion affects different aspects of the holidays, more specifically, Christmas time and all the memories which come together to make it “the most wonderful time of the year.”
People tend to come back to Christmas-themed movies due to the personal nostalgic memories they connect to these films, for some it may have been their very first movie they watched at a theater, or one which is connected to a fond memory of their families and loved ones. It could also be that they’ve grown up watching these movies and it would make sense that people keep coming back to them for a sense of comfort during the holidays. Along with online entertainment, winter sports such as snowboarding, skiing, ice skating and more are also known to be stress relievers and enhance nostalgic feeling around the winter season.
Although individuals feel nostalgic around the holidays due to countless personal reasons, according to psychologists they have one recurring habit to keep coming back to the same music, movies, entertainment and maybe even people during this holiday time due to the ever growing feeling of nostalgia. These nostalgic activities aren’t just miniscule details encompassing the holiday activities, according to Dr. Krystine Batcho, who is a licensed psychologist and an expert who contributes to the Psychology Today website, they help us feel connected to people in times of loneliness and stress.
Supporting Dr. Batcho’s claim Clay Routledge, an existential psychologist said, “It has a self-regulatory effect where even though you may feel sad or stressed, nostalgia reminds us that life is bigger than this one moment.”
Along with nostalgia acting as a drive towards reminiscing memories of joy and sadness, it also plays a role in keeping holiday traditions going.
“We tend to think of nostalgia as turning inward, like you’re withdrawing from life, but it’s actually energizing and is a critical ingredient in keeping holiday traditions alive,” said Routledge.
Although nostalgia has positive effects, there may be some instances where nostalgic thoughts around the holidays aren’t your best friend. Contrary to the effects stated above, nostalgia sometimes may also be the root of stress and anxiety instead of being the solution.
“Just as holidays can remind some people of happy childhood experiences, they can also remind other people of unpleasant ones,” Dr.Batcho said. “If holidays were associated with greater stress, family discord or unhappiness, an individual might well avoid painful memories by creating new holiday traditions.”
There are many, many more studies conducted on effects and causes of nostalgia on an emotional level and how individuals deal with them. But there’s another side to this phenomenon, which would be the marketing and selling of products which feed off of people’s nostalgic mood during this time of year and use it to benefit their revenue. In fact, according to cmswire.com, there is a technique businesses use known as Nostalgia Marketing to give consumers a good experience with their brand and make sure they come back.
“Nostalgia marketing creates a positive, emotional feeling by using familiar ideas, concepts, songs, symbols and products from previous years, associating a brand with something that customers have fond memories of,” a writer on cmswire said.
Along with businesses, the entertainment industry benefits greatly from the viewers’ nostalgic feelings. Ranging from the movies we watch, music we listen to, to the books we read and love. One of those movies include, Elf , which came out in 2003 and has made over $220 million of revenue and continues to be a fan favorite. USA Today reports that over 9 million households have watched this beloved movie, while more and more individuals discover it every year. More movies such as Home Alone, The Polar Express, etcetera, have also been highly successful and continue to be fan favorites.
Overall, I think we can come to the conclusion that nostalgia, though seeming harmless and like a simple stroll down memory lane, has a great power over many aspects of our lives, specifically during the holidays when most people are home with their families celebrating, carrying on traditions and reminiscing their cherished memories.
