The winter months bring the inevitable intensifying workload. However, as we navigate stressful finals and await a restful break, it’s important to remember how far we’ve come. Reflection and nostalgia is a way of admiring the past while accepting we are moving on from an eventful year.

This time is also one of conflicting emotions for students: love, stress, excitement. Though focused on their exams as the semester comes to a close, many have feelings of reminiscence. We can attribute this to the fond memories they’ve made during the season’s holidays, many of which are with family. Even research done by the National Health Service shows a consistent connection between colder temperatures and feelings of nostalgia. The cold makes people more likely to find solace in the warm emotions we associate with nostalgia. In other words, the winter chill has the odd ability to bring people together.

This is a time to look back, but it’s also an opportunity to move forward. Though the world around us may be slowing down, it’s important for us to look ahead. However, this doesn’t mean forgetting the memories that make us who we are.

Seniors like myself are wrapping up applications and preparing to submit to the schools of their dreams. As we attempt to convey who we are to strangers through piles of admissions essays, it’s easy to have some feelings of nostalgia. Connecting with the stories that brought us can help us imagine the kind of people we can grow into.

Another way to connect with the past while moving forward is practicing holiday traditions.These special customs may evolve throughout the years, but the essence of them remains. They shape the memories of past holidays and help us reminisce on times from our childhood. Even so, adopting new traditions can be a way to embrace the future while establishing something that can endure for years. Traditions are often different from person to person, but regardless, they make the holidays a special time of year for everyone.

Though we shouldn’t get too caught up in the past by obsessing over mistakes or regrets, it is healthy to let ourselves feel proud of how far we’ve come. Especially as the new year approaches and students become even more immersed in their work, simply remembering the different ways to reminisce can ease our transition into 2024.