The holidays don’t feel the same anymore and the older we get, the more obvious that truth becomes. Compared to when we were younger, now we seem to just be getting through the semester rather than actually celebrating the holiday season.
Back then, the temperature dropped, the sky seemed grayer, and the first snowfall brought the coldest comfort you could imagine. Snow meant school was canceled, wrapping yourself in a blanket with hot cocoa and watching holiday movies all day. The cold didn’t bother us, it completed the experience.
This year, Christmas week is sitting at over 60 degrees and with that there is no snow canceling school, no blanket or hot cocoa needed to keep you warm and having to sit in a classroom then come home to homework instead of watching your favorite holiday movies. To me, it feels like fall is continuing into November and December because without the snow, without the bite of cold air, it doesn’t feel like winter, so it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas.
The mix of sadness and missing the past is holiday nostalgia. It’s the emotional pull toward how the holidays used to feel, especially when life was more simple. Nostalgia isn’t just missing decorations or traditions — it’s missing a version of ourselves. The version that didn’t worry about grades, finals or what came next. A version that didn’t cross off days for the end of semester instead of days till Christmas morning.
As a kid, the holidays were the highlight of winter. School faded into the background, responsibilities paused and joy came naturally. Now, the holidays are something we fit into our busy schedules. Instead of excitement, we’re more focused on surviving finals, finishing assignments and just getting through the semester rather than actually celebrating the holiday season.
While family gatherings happen, they feel shorter. Conversations are interrupted by notifications. Traditions still exist, but they aren’t as important to us now or even get forgotten about. Although we’re surrounded by people we love, there’s a sense that something is different, almost as if everyone is remembering how the holidays were celebrated differently when we were all kids.
Although nostalgia is not all bad, it serves a purpose. It reminds us of what the holidays were always meant to be about. We rush through December trying to finish everything before the year ends but while doing that, we forget that the holidays were never meant to be productive. They were meant to be meaningful. They were meant to be warm moments that didn’t need to be posted or planned.
Growing up means realizing that holiday magic isn’t something that happens to you, it’s something you protect. It’s choosing to continue decorating your house with ‘vintage Christmas’ instead of white and beige decorations, continuing the tradition of watching holiday movies and baking cookies. It’s understanding that the holidays don’t have to look the same to still matter.
Yes, the weather is warmer, stress is heavier and the holidays aren’t what they used to be. But holiday nostalgia isn’t just about thinking of what’s gone. It’s about remembering the feeling the holidays gave you as a kid and continuing to make it feel the same as you grow up, even in a 60-degree December, even when school feels overwhelming. The holiday season isn’t whether snow is on the ground or you pass your finals, it is about how you spend it with your family.
