This year, weddings, birthdays, graduations, and other celebrations were canceled or remarkably subdued. Because of that, it might be tempting to downplay the holiday season like we have with other celebrations this year, especially with surging COVID cases. If you are in that mindset, you might want to rethink that decision. Based on an abundance of evidence, it is even more critical for our mental well-being that we engage in rituals of the holiday season, while observing the limitations needed to keep us safe from the virus.
Routines and rituals offer structure and predictability in our lives and act as a means to manage anxiety. Traditions are individual actions that form a sequence or pattern repeated in a particular way with personal symbolism and meaning. For example, even people who do not observe Christmas may still buy gifts, attend parties, and enjoy food and drink that are typical of the season.
This year, many of us put up our Christmas decorations earlier than usual, trying to lift our spirits. And there is evidence that this actually works. Studies show that rituals such as this play a role in creating a sense of well-being and satisfaction. These rituals evoke memories of happier times, which cause our brains to fire up our stored festive feelings (Paez et al., 2011). Even if we don’t perform a ritual in the exact same way, our brains will still respond positively. Even holiday smells can evoke memories of past times (Gottfried et al., 2004).
Rituals also play a critical role in social cohesion. When our traditional practices are disrupted, it challenges the concept of who we are as a social group (Fiese et al., 2002). In a year where our rituals have been disrupted, finding a way to modify our patterns will go a long way to establishing a sense of connection with others. Researchers have agreed that the feelings we get from taking part in larger gatherings is possible in smaller units of family and friends (Shira et al., 2019).
Celebrating may feel wrong when we are constrained by restrictions and so many have suffered loss. However, keep in mind that even modified rituals can help us stay positive and appreciative for all the good things in our lives, and this helps protect our mental well-being. For example, you might consider festivities that highlight the things we are grateful for. Or, making sure that we spend time on the phone or online reminiscing over past happy memories which can make us feel happier today (Bryant et al., 2005). This year, more than ever, it might be a good time to lean on happy memories from previous holidays to get through this difficult time.
References
Bryant, F. B., Smart, C. M., & King, S. P. (2005). Using the past to enhance the present: Boosting happiness through positive reminiscence. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6(3), 227-260.
Fiese, B. H., Tomcho, T. J., Douglas, M., Josephs, K., Poltrock, S., & Baker, T. (2002). A review of 50 years of research on naturally occurring family routines and rituals: Cause for celebration?. Journal of family psychology, 16(4), 381.
Gottfried, J. A., Smith, A. P., Rugg, M. D., & Dolan, R. J. (2004). Remembrance of odors past: human olfactory cortex in cross-modal recognition memory. Neuron, 42(4), 687-695.
Páez, D., Bilbao, M. Á., Bobowik, M., Campos, M., & Basabe, N. (2011). Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The impact of Christmas rituals on subjective well-being and family's emotional climate. Revista de Psicología Social, 26(3), 373-386.
Shira Gabriel, Esha Naidu, Elaine Paravati, C. D. Morrison & Kristin Gainey. The Journal of Positive Psychology, Volume 15, 2020 - Issue 1. Published Online: 13 Nov 2019 Pages 129-154 | https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1689412.