The Nostalgia Trap

Music, TV, Films, photos, newspapers, magazines – you name it, it makes me feel nostalgic. You may have noticed that on my blog over the last few years! However, I work hard not to fall into the trap of pretending that everything was better in the past. It causes huge problems for both the individual and the society. We can’t go back to the 1970s and nor should we. They were great times in some ways but not in others. There was an awful lot of sexism and racism that was not just accepted but encouraged by society at large. Circuses with animals were considered to be fine and were the centre of afternoon TV on Christmas Day. I still love the music and I still love the TV and it takes me back to a childhood that for a couple of years at least was really enjoyable. Christmas started in November in the shops and the season was simpler and more focused on the Christmas story rather than the presents.

Christmas TV was not always great but we shared it as a family and a society. The atomisation of society since, has taken so much of that away, as Christmas Day can see us all on separate screens if we’re not careful. The viewing figures for Christmas Day programmes in the UK were truly awful in 2025, where the bottom of the Top 10 most watched programmes came in at under 3 million viewers!

So, I love looking back and enjoying the things that I watched or listened to all those years ago, but I am clear sighted enough to realise that things have improved in a multitude of ways. Take this approach to the past and it will keep giving you pleasure to look back on.

It’s New Year’s Eve 2025 as I write and for young people today these will be the good old days in 20 or 30 years time. Don’t forget to enjoy their reflections and to ask them what they remember from the time. They will surprise and delight you with their love for their own childhood and teenage years. That never changes.