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Why We Get So Nostalgic at the End of the Year

  • Writer: Nina Ranieri
    Nina Ranieri
  • Dec 2, 2025
  • 2 min read

As the year starts to end, many of us begin reflecting on old moments without realizing it. People like to revisit moments from earlier in the year​;, looking through their camera roll, listening to songs that remind them of the start of the year, or just random memories. This emotional feeling of looking back is known as year-end nostalgia. It's a universal feeling everyone goes through every year. 


Though nostalgia is present all year, it becomes much more intense in December. Holiday traditions, family gatherings, school breaks, photo dumps of the year, or retrospectives like the Spotify Wrapped create a pause, a moment where everyone looks back together. The end-of-year season reawakens memories because people reconnect through gatherings, messages, photos, or calls.  These simple interactions remind people who they were and what they were doing, reflecting on what has changed and what has remained consistent.  


During this time it is also very common to reflect on your milestones and what you have achieved. We think about the goals we have met, the challenges overcome, which relationships grew and which ones faded, and how tiny moments have become increasingly meaningful. The end of a year acts as a psychological checkpoint: a moment to compare who we are now and who we have become since the start of the year. At the end of the year, even the decrease in work and the slowing down of our fast-paced lives allows people to introspect. 


Though it may feel comforting to think about your growth and achievements, it also feels bittersweet to think about your regrets, what you didn't achieve, and the feeling of not having enjoyed the year more. When December comes there is the sense that time moves way too fast, and there is so much you don't have time to do. Even when nostalgia comes with sadness it is good for us. It strengthens each one's sense of identity, reminding us of what we have overcome, and it deepens our awareness of the people who have shaped us. Nostalgic memories often highlight relationships, which is why people feel more connected during this season, even if they are physically apart. Both sides of this emotional feeling exist at the same time and are essentially good for us. 


Learning to work with these emotions instead of fighting them allows year-end reflection to become a tool for personal growth instead of stress. Thinking about or even writing down memories, achievements, and lessons from the past can bring clarity and help you understand patterns in your life. Setting realistic goals, focused on progress, turns reflection into motivation. Additionally, creating calm routines at night and limiting screen time can help prevent overthinking about your past and spiraling due to nostalgia. 


Year-end nostalgia is less about longing for the past and more about understanding our place in time. It reminds us that we've lived, grown, struggled, celebrated, and changed. It helps us carry the important parts of our past into the new year without getting stuck in what we can't change. Its bittersweet nature is what makes it valuable, reminding us of who we were, and who we want to become. 


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