Day 7 of Blogtober and today’s suggested prompt is “Chasing Nostalgia: Explore how people try to recreate a sense of nostalgia through fall activities, and whether it’s fulfilling or fleeting”. I’m not always going to stick to the prompt but today’s suggestion is a good one for me to explore. I had a very happy childhood and then, sadly my dad died suddenly just as I was coming into my adulthood. I’m prone to always looking back on life with rose-tinted glasses and I wonder if it’s partly to do with my dad’s premature death, which had a big impact on my life. Am I stuck in the past or do I have healthy nostalgia tendencies?
I love all things vintage and I love to recreate activities that I did myself as a child. I love the feeling of nostalgia, it brings me back to a safe, happy time when life was simpler and my dad was still alive. However, am I living too much in the past and instead of constantly repeating the same traditions, should I try harder to create new ones? I always find time passes by too quickly for me. They say that life feels slower when you’re constantly doing new things, or travelling to different places etc, so maybe I should instead strive for new experiences.
Chasing Nostalgia with my Own Children
As a parent, there’s a unique joy in watching your children experience the same magic and wonder that shaped your own childhood. I find myself chasing nostalgia, not as an escape, but as a way to keep alive the traditions that once brought me so much joy. Now, as I raise my own family, those traditions have become even more meaningful, creating a bridge between my past and my children’s present. From celebrating Halloween and Bonfire Night to introducing new customs like pumpkin picking (there were no local pumpkin patches when I was a child), I’m on a journey to blend the old with the new—building a foundation of warmth, excitement, and shared memories. I want my kids to look back on their childhood with the same happiness that I do.
Halloween and Bonfire Night Halloween were always one of the highlights of my childhood. I’ve written lots on this blog (particularly during Blogtober) about the autumn traditions I had as a child and have with my own family). You can read more about my Halloween traditions and Bonfire night memories (sorry as this is an old post the photos no longer load) here. For Halloween, I’ve always loved getting dressed up in my favourite spooky costume, carving jack-o-lanterns (we used swedes as a child and now my kids have pumpkins) and trick-or-treating with friends. As a child we “trick or treated” around the neighbours, as an adult I only take my children around to see family. I know they would love to go “proper trick or treating” down a street like they see in American films. However, I’m very wary about them knocking on the doors of people they don’t know as they may disturb someone who lives on their own or who has mobility issues etc. These traditions are not unique to me, so really in a way I’m just following UK and local customs, rather than making my own children recreate my childhood.
But now, as I share Halloween with my children, sometimes it’s like stepping into a time machine as mainly our rituals are the same. The picking out costumes, decorating the house, and doing the same activities, such as apple bobbing. There’s an almost unspoken understanding between us—I know the joy they feel because I’ve felt it too, and I love watching them live the same moments that were once mine.
Then, just as October’s cosy magic starts to fade, the crackle and warmth of Bonfire Night take centre stage. As a child, Bonfire Night was something so special—a celebration steeped in history but filled with simple pleasures like wrapping up warm, watching the fireworks light up the sky and gathering around a glowing bonfire with friends and family. Now, standing with my children, huddled in the cold as we watch fireworks dance against the night sky, I can’t help but feel connected to my own past. It’s a tradition that has passed through generations, and I love knowing that I’m now responsible for ensuring those same memories are passed down to my kids.
Creating New Traditions with My Family
While I cherish these familiar traditions, I’ve also discovered the joy of starting new ones with my family—ones that are uniquely ours. One of my favourites has become pumpkin picking, a relatively new addition to our autumn celebrations. Growing up, we always carved swedes (some families used to use turnips), but the idea of visiting a pumpkin patch to handpick the perfect one was something I only saw in movies. Now, every October, we head to a local farm to choose our pumpkins, and it has quickly become a treasured ritual. There’s something special about walking through rows of bright orange pumpkins, with my children excitedly running ahead to find the biggest or most unusual ones. The outing itself, filled with fresh air, muddy boots, and treats is as memorable as the carving that follows (which every year is harder and messier than I remember). It’s a tradition that belongs to our family—one that didn’t come from my past, but that I’m excited to see become a part of my children’s memories. We also always cosy up to watch spooky movies, which apart from if a new family film happened to be on tele, wasn’t a big deal in my own childhood.
Introducing new traditions isn’t just about adding more things to do; it’s about making space for the kind of experiences that fit our family today. It’s my way of reminding myself that while I love sharing my own childhood favourites with my kids, there’s also room for us to create something fresh—moments they’ll one day look back on with the same fondness I have for my own childhood.
The Beauty of Blending Old and New
What I’ve come to realize is that tradition is a living thing. It evolves, shifts, and grows with each generation. By celebrating Halloween and Bonfire Night, I’m not just indulging in nostalgia—I’m actively passing down stories, rituals, and feelings that bind me to my children. In the same breath, by starting new traditions like pumpkin picking, I’m allowing our family to build its own legacy, creating moments that are uniquely ours. These traditions—both old and new—are how I chase that elusive feeling of nostalgia while also giving my children the gift of wonder and connection. Every Halloween, every Bonfire Night, and every trip to the pumpkin patch, we are weaving a tapestry of memories that may one day become their own cherished past. These events lead us up to Christmas, which is full of tradition and rituals for many families.
In the end, it’s not about clinging to the past or rigidly enforcing traditions, but about sharing the joy, excitement, and warmth of family—whether that’s through fireworks on a chilly night or a muddy adventure in a pumpkin field. Studies show there are many benefits to experiencing nostalgia, such as helping people to feel more optimistic. It’s only an emotion to fear if you find yourself getting upset that the times you yearn for no longer exist. While I will have tears over the people I miss, which is a normal part of grief, nostalgia makes me happy not sad. I hope that one day, my children will find themselves chasing their sense of nostalgia, blending the traditions they grew up with alongside new ones they create for their own families. And so, the magic continues, one tradition at a time.
Do you chase nostalgia or are you more excited to make new memories?
Read more: Blogtober posts
I do both. as I’m now getting officially old I guess it’s more nostalgia, but I still like to make memories. I’m surprised my teenage kids want to come on holiday with me next year but they do, so more memories. I’m going to take a million photos 🙂
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Yes I think that’s a healthy mix. Aww that’s lovely. I hope you have a wonderful time and get lots of wonderful photos xxx