As the holiday season approaches there’s a magical opportunity to bridge the generations and create a Christmas celebration that is steeped in nostalgia. We explore ways you can enjoy festivities with all your family by bringing together the very best of the old and the new.
Big Trend of the Year
Nostalgia has been a popular theme throughout this year. Music, film, TV and fashion have all been touched with inspirations from the past. It’s not just us ‘oldies’ enjoying the nostalgia trend as younger people in their teens, 20s and 30s are also tapping into the zeitgeist of the past. Vintage clothes and by-gone decades have influenced fashion and music with both supporting the latest Tiktoks. Netflix shows like Stranger Things are set in the 80s while there are reboots of other TV favourites including Frasier and Scooby Doo.
Why are people more nostalgic at the moment? According to research company GWI, people are looking for something to make them smile with 53 per cent saying they feel happy and 40 per cent saying they feel comforted when they engage with media from the past.
Making memories
This is all the more prevalent at Christmas, as we all have an emotional connection with the festive period. Traditions shape the memories we carry for a lifetime. For a child, Christmas is a feast of wonderment; the tree, the food, the presents, and the games all ignited our senses and imagination.
This year make traditions centre stage at your Christmas. All families approach them differently and add their own personal twists. Do you all open your presents in people order – maybe youngest to eldest? Perhaps you favour a free-for-all with wrapping paper flying everywhere and squeals of delight from the children. Whatever you usually do – keep doing it!
Dust-off the heirloom decorations and think about all the Christmases they’ve been part of. Take the children to choose new ones and who knows, maybe they’ll be reminiscing about them with their own families in years to come.
Joy for young and old
If you’re spending the festive season with elderly relatives they will especially appreciate the nostalgia a traditional Christmas brings. For those with failing memories or even dementia, these routines will help trigger recollections from the past. Try getting together a playlist of old Christmas tunes. Music is known to stimulate the imagination and transport us to times gone by.
Old photos from Christmases back in the day are another great nostalgia hit. Perfect for reminiscing and letting the kids see how you all looked in ‘the good old days!’ A family movie always brings everyone together. All the streaming services will have the Christmas classics available including the extensive iPlayer library. See if there are any golden oldies to share with the youngsters such as White Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life.
If an older family member is hosting then make sure you all muck in. Plan in advance and all bring a dish. Get to their home a little earlier and help with cooking and table setting.
In with the New
If you want to add new ideas to festivities look to the younger family members. See if you can incorporate new ideas like silly Christmas sweaters or an Elf on the Shelf. And when it comes to hiding those mischievous elves all around your home, you may be thinking, now is the time for help getting up and down the stairs.
With a Stiltz Homelift you can help yourself or other members of the family who find stairs difficult and want to stay in the home they know and love. Unlike old fashioned stairlifts, our up-to-date home lifts make it possible to continue celebrating a traditional Christmas with a new outlook on life.
This Christmas enjoy building bridges across generations, fostering a sense of continuity and shared history through traditions. You and each member of your family can keep the timeless spirit of Christmas alive by reminiscing about the past and thinking about the future.