The Sesame Seed Bagel

There’s a reason why a song, a smell, or even a sesame seed bagel can take you straight back in time. Not just in memory, but in emotion. Nostalgia isn’t just daydreaming about the past; it’s a scientifically proven psychological comfort blanket that our brains pull over us when adulthood starts feeling like too much.

Researchers say nostalgia helps increase feelings of connection and optimism, almost like an emotional multivitamin. It’s our brain’s way of saying, “Hey, remember when things were good? Yeah, you’ve felt joy before, and you can again.” It doesn’t matter if the past wasn’t perfect as our minds have this beautiful ability to edit out the chaos and highlight the magic. It’s selective memory, and honestly, I’m not mad about it.

For me, nostalgia hides in the smallest details. The kind that sneak up on you in the middle of a grocery store aisle or the first bite of something familiar. I can still picture myself in my mum’s Buick, when she said, “You’d probably really like this boy band.” Cue “Get Down” by Backstreet Boys blaring through the speakers. She wasn’t wrong, but she might regret creating that lifelong obsession. Every time that song plays, I’m back in that car, in my preteen years, belting lyrics I didn’t understand, feeling like the world was huge and good.

Then there’s the sesame seed bagel. My first one was in Toronto, after being fitted for my very first pair of pointe shoes. I can still feel the warmth of it in my hands... buttery, rich, and full of promise. Every time I eat one now, I go straight back there: feet sore, heart full, dreams bigger than my leotard.

And oh, the TGIF lineup. We’re talking paper TV guides (remember those?), figuring out what time Full House came on, and planning your entire evening around it. No streaming. No binge-watching. Just you, a Tahiti Treat pop (or soda for my non-Canadian friends and fam), a bowl of Doritos, and the thrill of a Friday night in your parents’ living room. We even had to walk up to the TV to change the channel. Simpler times.

If you were a ‘90s kid, you know the ritual of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The graphics were sketchy, but blowing into that cartridge like a sacred act of wizardry? That was the fix. Every time my cousins and I got together, we’d huddle around the TV, my sister and I inevitably getting stuck on a level and handing the controller over to my older cousin, who somehow always saved the day. Those afternoons were a mix of competition, laughter, and pure sibling chaos that you couldn’t recreate if you tried. I still can't pass the higher levels. 

And then came the Game Boy. Mine was green. It was my most loyal companion until the batteries died, which happened often. Cue the mad dash to find Dad... the man who could locate new batteries in a crisis like some kind of suburban superhero. Although, he would never tell us where he hid those precious pieces of life support. 

And don’t even get me started on McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. They certainly don’t make them like they used to. The Muppet hockey characters? Iconic. Every time I see “Animal,” I think of my overflowing basket of stuffed animals that sat proudly in the corner of my room. The Flintstones toys? Pure gold. And the day Backstreet Boys partnered with Burger King in 2000? Listen. That was peak culture. CDs, posters, collectible toys, we were living. Kids today will never know the thrill of eating chicken sandwiches while collecting miniature pop stars. My family and I took a road trip out East that summer and my sister and I forced them (including our grandparents) to stop at every Burger King along the way so we could complete our collection. It was an alarming amount of Burger King being consumed. 

The thing about nostalgia is that it reminds us joy doesn’t have to be complicated. It was never about grand gestures, it was about the anticipation of something small. The smell of popcorn from the microwave. The sound of a VCR rewinding. The flash of coloured lights on the Christmas tree. It was all enough.

And maybe that’s why I’m doing Christmas differently this year. I’m bringing back the chaos... the good kind. I’m throwing tinsel on my tree and finding the oldest, tackiest nativity set possible. I want Christmas to be Christmas again, complete with coloured lights, strung popcorn, candy canes on every branch, and an angel on top that looks like she might actually haunt you in your sleep. I’m chasing the ‘80s and ‘90s, unapologetically.

So yeah, I’m leaning into it. The nostalgia. The glitter. The chaos. The “they don’t make it like they used to” of it all. Because maybe, between the blow-up Santas and the static on the radio, we can find that familiar spark again. The one that’s been sitting quietly in the corner, waiting for us to remember how good it felt to just be.

And if it takes a bagel, a boy band, or a few questionable decorations to get there?
Well, I’ll take that trip every time.

If you enjoyed this post, please enjoy the regular blog of Alanna on Wordpress: https://cincodemumyo.wordpress.com/

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