Nostalgia is a powerful emotion

THEY say Christmas is a time for reflection and they’re not wrong – because no other time of year allows you to delve into the past quite like December.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Just take a look at the outcry over the Sex and the City reboot this week and (slight spoiler alert) THAT big death scene.

And Just Like That brought Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and co back into our lives after almost two decades off-screen (we won’t count the films – let’s just pretend they didn’t happen). And there’s nothing like revisiting your favourite TV characters for a comforting mood boost, especially when it’s a chance to see how their lives have changed.

So, when the writers chose to inject a little excitement into the first episode and kill off one of those beloved characters, it’s unsurprising they were in for an earful from die-hard fans.

I binge-watched, saw the outpouring of grief on social media and got to thinking: why do people care so much? Whether it’s your favourite TV show or the rituals we all cling to at the time of year, why does the past have such a hold on us around Christmastime?

I’ve noticed it more than ever this year, while prepping and planning to host for the first time. Come December 25, the in-laws will be tucking into my first full-blown festive feast – and, I hope, enjoying some of the traditions from my childhood, as well as their own family favourites.

I’ve been looking forward to this for years. With my parents not around any more and me adopted into my husband’s family a decade ago, I’ve greatly appreciated the warm welcome they’ve given me over the years.

But where’s my tin of Roses, my once-a-year prawn cocktail served up in a retro glass – all the things that made Christmas in my younger days? Well, they’ve been absent, sadly – until this year, and the moment when I can wax lyrical about family fights for the strawberries in the tin, or the time my mum thought Marley & Me was an appropriately cheery film.

There’s a reason people love Christmas so much, beyond the parties and the presents – it’s a ritual, collective and at the same time individual to all of us, repeated year after year to bring much-needed comfort in the cold winter months.

Tree decorated? Check. Cards posted and stockings filled – or indeed, that Christmas Eve dash to the shops? Either way, it’s all part of the fun. We all have our own little traditions to stick to, reminding us of happier times and, indeed, giving us a chance to recreate them.

It’s not hard to understand why SATC fans were left reeling. Most of us are tuning in for reassurance that some things never change – even if our own lives have taken some twists and turns since the series ended.

But at least we’ll always have Christmas with its excess, overindulgence and – occasionally – rose-tinted hue. Because I’m willing to bet there’s a reason I only ever had prawn cocktail once a year… but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to give up the memory yet.