The Season of Nostalgia: Why This Time of Year Makes Us Long for the “Good Ole Days
If you’re anything like me, this time of year comes with a wave of nostalgia so strong it almost feels like its own season. It’s not quite fall, not quite winter—but something in between… that magical pocket of time where our senses wake up, old memories knock on the door, and suddenly we’re craving everything from childhood snacks to 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s holiday movies.
Tell me why, the minute the temperatures drop, all I want to do is eat the exact same foods I grew up with? Give me the mac and cheese from the blue box. Give me the sweet potato casserole with buttery pecan topping. Give me that weird but comforting cranberry jelly that somehow still holds the shape of the can.
And don’t even get me started on the movies. There is no universe—none—where I am watching the live-action Grinch before the original cartoon version. Absolutely not. The cartoon is the holiday season. It’s the warm blanket on the couch, the flicker of the Christmas tree lights, the sound of that opening song that immediately sends you back to being nine years old with your feet in fuzzy socks and hot chocolate in your hand.
Speaking of hot chocolate… why does it hit so differently in December? Hot chocolate with marshmallows—even the mini ones that melt too fast—just calls my name this time of year. Honestly, it feels like a hug in a mug.
But the truth is, the hot chocolate, the movies, the food… they’re not really what we’re after. Not entirely. What we’re craving is the feeling that comes with them. That sense of comfort. The softness of simpler times. The memories of being surrounded by people we loved—people who may or may not still be with us. The slow evenings when the biggest thing we had to worry about was whose turn it was to pick the movie.
This season has a way of shining a soft light on our past, like someone quietly whispering, “Remember this?”
And honestly… I do. And I love it.
Why Nostalgia Hits Harder This Time of Year
There’s something about November and December that wakes up the part of our brain that holds onto childhood. Maybe it's the colder weather that makes us slow down. Maybe it’s the holiday gatherings, or hearing the same songs we’ve heard every year since we were little. Maybe it’s the candles that smell like pine trees and the grocery store stocking ingredients for meals we only cook once a year.
Whatever it is, our memories become louder.
This time of year says, “Hey, remember baking cookies with your mom?”
“Remember being excited to stay up late on Christmas Eve?”
“Remember how magical everything felt?”
Even if your holidays weren’t perfect growing up—which is true for many of us—there are often moments we hold close. Tiny snapshots that made us feel safe, happy, or seen. And even if things are wildly different now, those memories still warm us from the inside out.
And if your childhood holidays were filled with joy, the nostalgia is even stronger. You feel the pull to recreate it—to taste the same foods, watch the same movies, and keep the traditions alive because they remind you of who you were and where you came from.
The Beauty in Remembering
I think part of why we crave nostalgia is because it gives us a break from life. Being an adult comes with responsibility, bills, decisions, plans, and stress. Nostalgia pulls us back to a time before all that. It lets us slip into a moment where everything felt a little easier, a little slower, a little sweeter.
It’s like our heart whispers, “Can we rest here for a second?”
And honestly… yes. Yes we can.
We don’t need permission to slow down and remember. We don’t need a reason to rewatch our favorite holiday movie from childhood. We don’t need an excuse to pull out the old recipes or to drink hot chocolate with marshmallows like we’re eight years old again.
We’re allowed to feel soft.
We’re allowed to miss the people we’ve lost.
We’re allowed to smile at silly traditions we still secretly love.
We’re allowed to honor the good memories, even when life looks very different now.
Letting Nostalgia Be a Gift, Not a Comparison
One thing I’ve learned: nostalgia is beautiful—until we start comparing the past to the present.
Sometimes we slip into,
“Those were the good ole days… and things don’t feel the same anymore.”
But the truth is, nostalgia is meant to lift you, not weigh you down.
Instead of thinking,
“I wish things were like that again,”
we can choose to think,
“I’m grateful I had those moments. Those memories are part of me.”
And here’s the beautiful part:
You can still create new memories that one day you’ll look back on with the same warmth. Nostalgia isn’t a sign that the best days are behind you—it’s a sign that something inside you knows how to feel deeply, love deeply, and remember deeply.
Creating New “Good Ole Days”
Let’s be honest: a lot of us spend the holidays trying to recreate the past. But what if this year, instead of recreating… we create?
Maybe this year your “good ole days” look like:
lighting a candle and watching your favorite childhood movie in your pajamas
cooking one nostalgic recipe and adding a new twist to it
starting a small tradition that feels comforting just for you
slowing down and actually savoring the season instead of rushing through it
calling someone you love, even for five minutes, just to say hi
making memories with people who bring you peace now—even if your circle looks different than it did years ago
The good ole days weren’t perfect. They were simply moments filled with warmth—and we can still create that.
So, If You’re Feeling Nostalgic…
You’re not alone. I’m right there with you.
If you’re craving the foods you ate when you were young, cook them.
If you want to rewatch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon, thank you very much), press play.
If hot chocolate with marshmallows is calling your name—answer it.
If old memories keep floating to the surface, let them. Let yourself feel them.
Let this season remind you of where you came from…
and also of where you’re going.
Nostalgia is not a longing for the past—it’s a reminder of the love, joy, and connection that shaped you. It’s proof that your life has been filled with moments worth remembering. And it’s an invitation to create more.
Here’s to this magical, nostalgic time of year.
Here’s to the foods, the movies, the memories—and to the “good ole days” we haven’t even created yet.