Nostalgia incarnate

I’m a fan of nostalgia.

The closer the past remains to me, the more my life seems to be connected from beginning to end.

I also love reminders of bygone days. The ability to look back and see with expansive clarity is a beautiful way to be happy and satisfied about the journey you’ve taken thus far.

So many people forget so much and then wonder where the time has gone, or even worse, feel sorrow for not doing enough, seeing enough, and being enough.

So often, they simply don’t remember a life well lived because most days are forgotten.

Nostalgia — the wistful remembrance of the past — can give us clarity into that past. When an object is imbued with nostalgia, it can serve as an anchor to that time.

It often contains a window onto the past we have left behind.

All that said, I saw these in a Christmas store in Quebec City. For me, they are nostalgia incarnate.

Replicas of my childhood televisions containing animated snow globes of nostalgic Christmas scenes.

When I saw them, I was instantly transported to a different time, and I was immediately reminded of my childhood living room, Jiffy-Pop, the television shows I watched as a child, the wire coat hangers that replaced the broken antenna, the circular UHF antenna, the plastic cups from which I drank cherry Kool-Aid, the green container filled with Oreos, the Easy Chair, and more.

So much more.

I could go on and on.

I didn’t buy one of these television snow globes. They’re large and unwieldy. We were on our way to dinner, so it didn’t make sense.

But I’ve dreamt about them a few times since we’ve come back home.

I kind of wish I had bought one.