The five enticing senses of the holidays
When the sun starts setting at 5:00, and the falling leaves start accompanying the cold rain, a source of Vitamin D is needed in our lives. The new source is a figurative one—the joy of the holidays. Light Up the Bluff illuminates our town, trees glisten in people's windows, and the simple light within carries you afloat.
Companies are the fastest ones to jump on the holiday train. As the clock strikes midnight on Halloween night, store employees rush to change the decorations. The shelves fill up with Christmas trees, garlands, dreidels, lights, and much more. This is otherwise known as “the Christmas creep”, according to Alex Monagham, CEO of Miconex North America. Businesses are the most busy leading up to the holidays and demand for everything goes up. The Christmas creep used to have more of a positive effect as we led up to the holiday season, but in recent years the phrase has taken on a more negative connotation—instead, the Christmas creep has become a feeling of dread for the extreme commercialization of the holiday, rather than actual spirit.
In terms of food, candy canes and peppermint flavors show up everywhere: in cookies, in Starbucks drinks, and on dinner tables. According to Jan Grinstead, Product Manager for The Hershey Company, candy sales from the holidays make up a quarter of their yearly profits, which can apply to most candy companies. Thanksgiving also sets up our taste buds for weeks to come. People also shop for ingredients for their holiday dinners: hams, turkeys, green beans, sweet potatoes and more. Smells of the holiday imprint these memorable times into our minds. Lively grocery stores filling up with holiday staples are newly interpreted ways of sharing the holiday cheer.
According to Harvard’s Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, we most associate memories with smell because when we breathe in smells, they directly go to the limbic system, which is related to the emotion and memory part of the brain.
“I love making sugar cookies during Christmas time and sharing them with friends and family, that's what I associate with the holidays,” Clara Berry, 10 said.
As for what serenades our ears and expands the warmth in our chests, movies and music of the holidays play a role in the changing world around us. According to Wind-Up’s December survey, most students would choose Elf or Home Alone as their favorite holiday movie. Snuggling up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa to watch a movie is a great way to reduce the holiday stress some may feel. According to Zoya Gervis, a writer for the New York Post, 80% of people feel stress related to family and decorating the house. So, combat that stress by listening to Micheal Bublé (or whomever) and watching some questionable movies on Hallmark. There's a holiday movie out there for whomever may choose: Die Hard for action seekers, A Christmas Story for a good laugh, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer for families, and more than a few about love.
The holidays are a burst of warmth before the cold nights of the new year, and whether you celebrate a particular holiday or not, there is an undeniable feeling of togetherness that holds us during these cold midwest winters.