Do You Cheese What I Cheese?
The music. The movies. The sweaters. The cheese. Christmas is a time to revel in the velvety smooth comfort of nostalgia and immerse yourself in the savory emotional fondue of unapologetic sentimentality.
Why? Because it makes you happy. It boosts your mood during cold, dark nights. It creates family bonds and social connections. It gives you a feeling of meaning. And the spirit of Christmas allows you to keep your job after you do the running man on the boss’s dining room table with an alleged green West Elm lampshade on your head that you know is from Homegoods before you vomit the homemade Moon Nog Abby in accounting made that’s gotta be half moonshine into the guest bathroom shower. Ehhh — let’s move on.
If you read my articles, you know what’s coming next: Scientific proof!
I can’t just say Christmas makes you happy. I have to prove it. Here’s an enlightening lightning round of scientific proof:
- Study: Holiday rituals strengthen family bonds (LINK)
- Study: Christmas displays improve mood, self-esteem, and inclusion (LINK)
- Study: Savoring holiday moments boosts joy, pleasure, and comfort (LINK)
- Study: Holiday smells and sounds trigger positive nostalgia and boost mood — even in a retail setting (LINK)
- Study: Christmas movies improve mood, satisfy social connection needs, defeat stress, and create family bonds (LINK)
That’s enough cheesy science bullet points to take down the abominable snowman — before his teeth were removed. It gives you a sense of what the holidays do for us. The days get shorter. The nights get colder. It’s easy to fall into seasonal depression.
Christmas — or whatever holiday you celebrate — keeps your family happy in winter. Why? The rituals. The nostalgia. The traditions. The gatherings. The cheese.
Corny rituals give us a sense of belonging. They connect us to lore. We become tradition — a link in a long familial line that will continue beyond your lives if we make the holidays memorable.
Glowing lights. Front lawn Santas. Sentimental songs. Predictable stories. They comfort us like a Hans Gruber plummeting sweater.
Let us all celebrate our most earnest selves. Don’t hold back. Put your A Christmas Story leg lamp replica in your front window. Celebrate your favorite Scrooge — even if it’s Mr. Magoo. Pull out your Rudolph-nose socks and dance to “Last Christmas.”
The cheese is how we survive and thrive during Christmas.
To help you find that little nugget of cheesy nostalgia you left behind when you grew up, I put together The Top 50 Classic Christmas Specials Ranked (scroll down like 4 inches).
Find your cheese. Watch your cheese. Indulge in your cheese. Enjoy the nostalgia. Pass it on to your kids. You may not realize it now but this year’s choices will boost their self-esteem and mood when they’re making these decisions two decades from now.
Brendan
