As a child people seem to enjoy the summer months the most, with no school, pool parties, and cookouts, but as someone grows older they seem to have a stronger feeling of nostalgia and fondness for the fall and winter months. Reminiscing on favorite core memories of simpler times can reawaken a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past. Thinking about the sight of an old house or neighborhood can lead to remembering the way everything seemed so much bigger and more alive. Jumping into leaf piles, hearing the fresh snow get compacted under bulky snow boots, opening up Christmas presents or dressing up as a favorite character for Halloween are all things that people have experienced and remember thoroughly.
A good majority of the happiest, safest moments in my life come from late fall to early winter. This phenomenon is most likely caused by the fact that this time of year was celebrated so heavily, and thus feels magical to children. Lots of people can relate to going to elementary school dressed up in their Halloween costumes and seeing the hallways decorated with pumpkins, black cats, candy corn and monsters, or a memory of sitting down in class as the teacher hands out Christmas tree sugar cookies and plays Christmas movies on the last day before Winter Break.
There are just so many activities and festivities going on at this time of year that dissipate as one grows older. In the summer and spring months, people can still go out and go swimming or ride their bike, but they can never go back to being little kids waiting and anticipating waking up on Christmas morning to find all the goodies left under the tree and in their stockings. Or the feeling of meeting a favorite cousin every Thanksgiving has a special place in most people’s hearts; maybe even just counting up all the Halloween candy with siblings. These memories cannot be recreated because they all come from a time in childhood when life was full of joy and eagerness.
Now as an older person waking up in the fall and winter mornings could easily bring up a huge wave of nostalgia as a light snowfall hits the ground, or when the leaves first start to change colors.
