That feeling of smelling a certain scent, or wearing a certain coat or even seeing a certain tree without leaves could bring us back to a winter from our past, whether it be five years ago or last winter. Memories associated with the holiday season go beyond one description or feeling. Winter nostalgia could strike when we’re reminded about a time in our lives that makes us feel cold or warm or maybe both.

It is difficult to pinpoint one idea of winter, so it is fortunate to have memories. Having memories of this time of year can bittersweet, as we compare ourselves to who and where we were in past winters. There is comfort in knowing that we’re here in the present because in past winters we were different. It is natural to have changed, even if it doesn’t feel like anything big has happened. Change comes with every new month; however, winter sometimes seems to have a stronger grasp on our minds. 

What will you remember? What do you remember? These are questions to ask ourselves as we experience the end of another year. What do you really remember from past winters, and what will you remember from this one? December is a natural time to take stock of what the year has meant and what hopes we have for the one to come.

Connecting winter to a version of yourself, or how winter should be, feels like frostbite. It is easy to try and replicate the way you felt and experienced winter as a kid, but usually those memories aren’t as potent as they once were. 

Inevitably, winter happens. Seasonal bucketlists filled with “Go sledding,” “Bake” and “Snowball fight” get checked off, or they don’t. In one perspective, winter goes by the same as other seasons, but is winter different? The answer to that hides in the outcomes of the memories you will make this year because, sure, past winters stick with us, but why not make this winter our new favorite memory that we will look back on and miss five to ten years from now?