the edit, vol. 12

nostalgia isn’t sentimentality.
it’s the nervous system looking for structure.

when the future feels unstable — politically, economically, socially — the mind doesn’t reach for novelty. it reaches for familiarity. not because the past was better, but because it was legible. understandable. ordered in ways the present no longer feels.

this is why nostalgia spikes during periods of collective stress. it’s not regression; it’s regulation.

and nowhere is that instinct more visible than during the holidays.

nostalgia as a stress response

nostalgia often gets dismissed as indulgent or backward-looking, but psychologically, it serves a function. when systems feel unreliable, memory becomes a substitute for certainty. repeated rituals, familiar music, inherited traditions — they offer predictability in moments when the future feels opaque.

holidays intensify this response because they arrive on schedule. they don’t ask us to reinvent anything. they promise continuity, even when everything else feels in flux.

what we call “tradition” is often reassurance wearing a softer name.

why the holidays amplify it

the holiday season is uniquely powerful because it is cyclical. it tells us, implicitly, that time still behaves. that there is a rhythm we can trust, even if institutions wobble and expectations shift.

we replay the same songs. we cook the same meals. we decorate in ways that look almost identical year after year. these repetitions calm the body before they ever move the heart.

in uncertain years, the pull toward nostalgia isn’t subtle. it’s urgent.

aesthetics are never neutral

holiday aesthetics are often treated as taste — personal, harmless, subjective. but aesthetics are a form of cultural language. they communicate how people relate to abundance, control, and belonging.

a maximalist holiday signals spectacle, visibility, excess.
a minimalist holiday signals restraint, composure, authority.

candles versus novelty lights.
linen and silver versus plastic and color.
quiet gatherings versus performative abundance.

none of these choices are accidental. they reflect how people negotiate security, wealth, and identity — especially during moments when those things feel less certain.

style, even seasonal style, is signaling.

what we decorate over

decoration can absolutely be joy. but it can also be deflection.

the holidays are a masterclass in softening:
candles instead of conflict.
tablescapes instead of tension.
warmth carefully curated inside the home.

there’s nothing inherently wrong with this. beauty is a legitimate form of care. but it’s worth noticing what gets covered — and what remains unresolved — beneath the glow.

ritual comforts us. it can also distract us.

the holiday as a cultural mirror

holidays don’t create values. they expose them.

they reveal who is centered and who remains invisible. they reveal whether generosity is private, performative, or structural. they sharpen the contrast between abundance inside the home and scarcity beyond it.

this divide exists year-round. the holidays simply make it harder to ignore.

the season functions less like a celebration and more like a mirror — reflecting not just warmth and connection, but also avoidance, imbalance, and selective care.

what the season ultimately tells us

holidays don’t just show us who we are.

they show us what we’re afraid to lose.

stability.
meaning.
a sense of order that feels increasingly fragile.

nostalgia isn’t about wanting to go backward. it’s about wanting something to hold. something predictable. something that reminds us we once knew how things worked.

in that way, the holidays aren’t separate from culture or politics or economics. they are one of the clearest expressions of how all three intersect — quietly, emotionally, and without slogans.

sometimes the clearest signal isn’t what we argue about.

it’s what we cling to.

the veritas edit