NEWSOK! Countdown to Christmas Nostalgia Contest: Challenge 3
Dec. 19 2012, Published 2:14 p.m. ET
The countdown to Christmas is in full swing, and if you’re not feeling the holiday spirit by now, we’re a little concerned—and here to help! OK! chatted with author Michael Gitter, the nostalgia specialist responsible for the Do You Remember? book series, about what evokes the happiest memories for people this time of year.
“I believe that we do get more nostalgic for the holidays," Michael tells OK!. “Our holiday memories are tied tightest to our childhood.”
Some holiday ads have the staying power of the most well-known celebs! We’ve altered a few of these ads, and we’ll be showing you one every day this week. If you guess what the ads are for, you could win a fun prize from Sweet! Hollywood, a candy emporium unlike any other. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter to see how they are bringing out the kid in everyone who walks through their doors!
It is our hope that the images we will be showing you over the week do just that, and help you remember what the holiday season is about.
Michael shares that there is a science to nostalgia, which has indicated that people of all ages, men and women alike, are capable of nostalgic feelings. And there is good news for those of you who have been enjoying this game all week: science tells us that nostalgic people are happier.
"We all have songs that were the theme of our childhood," Michael says. "Smells are also highly evocative... there are certain times I smell cut grass during the summer and brings be back to summer camp. These kind of sensory impulses are amazing. They bring us back to a certain time and place, and it's very comforting."
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The clue for today's image combines those impulses of sound and smell with taste! The treat pictured here is tiny, delicious and wishes you a Merry Christmas every year!
For more fun blasts from the past, follow @DoYouRemember on Twitter!
To enter to win a prize basket from Sweet! Hollywood, guess what holiday ad we’re showing in the comments on Facebook. We’ll announce a winner each day, and your prize will be sent in time to enjoy it over the holiday season!
Sweet! Hollywood features 12 themed boutiques in a glorious retail carnival. Sweet! Hollywood turns candy into an entertainment experience. Visitors can create custom chocolate bars, take personal tasting tours and play exciting candy games in addition to shopping in candy boutique that are exclusive to Sweet! Hollywood. Shoppers can play a tune as they climb the musical piano key stair steps to the store. Inside, watch gumballs travel 700 feet of track-propelled by a beautiful Ferrari. Outside, shoppers can learn about Willy Wonka's far-flung adventures by gazing into the elaborate store windows designed by Academy Award-winning designers, Moonbot Studios, and built by one of Hollywood's go-to set designers, Jim Hayes.
