I don’t have to tell you that you are living in the midst of a culture permeated with darkness and depression. Add to that your chaotic Christmas schedule and pressures, and there’s a real chance in this month of December that you might be robbed (at least at some point) of your Christmas joy and spirit.
Health Day reported in a column, “Tis’ the Season to Be Stressed, New Poll Finds,” that “the strain of inflation and world affairs this year are adding to the other holiday-time stressors to create a toxic mental health cocktail, according to findings from Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.”
Survey results show that:
- 81% of Americans are stressing out over national issues and world affairs;
- 75% are stressed about rising prices and holiday spending;
- 53% are stressed from increasing cases of flu, COVID and other respiratory illnesses;
- 44% are stressed from memories of last year’s holiday travel meltdown.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) also found that 64% of people living with a brain disorder reported that their conditions worsened around the holidays.
Well, have no fear: Chuck is here! I’ve got the perfect remedy to roundhouse kick the worried, anxious and potentially grumpy “inner Grinch” in all of us. And the remedy might surprise you: It’s watching Christmas movies.
I know it might sound crazy to some, but, believe it or not, watching holiday movies can actually boost and bolster your holistic health. It can make you happier and healthier, too. It has even been linked to higher energy, lower stress and sharper thinking.
Dr. Pamela B. Rutledge, Ph.D., M.B.A., is the director of the Media Psychology Research Center and faculty in the media psychology program at Fielding Graduate University where she designs and teaches courses on brand storytelling, audience engagement and positive psychology applied to media.
Dr. Rutledge wrote a very interesting, informative and even inspiring article in Psychology Today: “Why Christmas Movies Make Us Feel Good: The Health Benefits of Nostalgia, Romance, Family, Snowflakes, and Miracles.”
In the article, Dr. Rutledge first explained the downside to the holiday season: “Since very few of us have ‘Hallmark Christmas’ lives, the movies provide a welcome escape from the pressures and demands of the real world. The holiday season can bring unwanted guests and annoying family members and the burdens of gift-giving and entertaining. Holidays can exacerbate financial strain and emphasize our loneliness and isolation. Images of Christmas can also make us aware when our lives, families, jobs, or friends don’t live up to our aspirational ideals and desires. It’s no wonder that depression and anxiety spike during the holidays. It also explains the relief we feel when holiday movies wildly exaggerate those holiday woes, like ‘Christmas with the Kranks,’ ‘Bad Santa,’ or ‘Bad Moms Christmas.'”
Rutledge then scientifically supports why and how:
- The familiar tropes, and simple, predictable, and non-stressful stories of Christmas movies deliver comfort and improve mood.
- Recurring themes of romance, family and friendship reflect and satisfy our deep-seated need for social connection.
- Holiday movies build bonds across generations and feel like visiting old friends.
- Feel-good holiday films provide a welcome escape from the pressures of real-world demands.
Dr. Rutledge explained: “There are several benefits from a journey into Christmas movie land. Holiday movies can boost mood and relieve symptoms of depression by providing an escape from daily stressors and increasing perspective-taking. They are heart-healthy, reducing stress hormones like cortisol that can damage the cardiovascular and immune systems. Positive emotions, like hope, joy, and gratitude, can stir personal and social reflection and inspire new activities and goals. Sharing a movie increases intimacy and can even improve relationships. And they are easy, uncomplicated, and have happy endings.”
She adds, “Yes, holiday movies are formulaic, predictable, and often cheesy. But they also offset the stress, family pressure, and gloom from shorter days and less sunshine (in the northern hemisphere). An evening spent watching a feel-good movie can be an easy, low-cost, and rewarding form of self-care.”
In short, Dr. Rutledge concludes: “Happy brain, happy body”!
That’s really great news since my wife, Gena, and I (along with the rest or our family) love Christmas movies.
Here’s a couple of our very favorites:
1. The Waltons’ first movie: “The Homecoming”
2. “A Christmas Carol”
3. “It’s a Wonderful Life”
4. “Christmas with the Kranks”
5. “Polar Express”
(In addition to watching movies and playing games together, we love to take the family to go see a theatrical play of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”)
Are any of these above inspiring holiday films your favorites, too?
While Dr. Rutledge of course does not endorse being a “couch potato” throughout the holiday season, can you imagine the extra benefit if you were to do some simple cardio exercises or movements while watching your favorite movies? Double-roundhouse health blessing! (Gena and I have even exercised on our Total Gym equipment while watching movies to burn off the extra calories from our holiday binging.)
As I’m sure your family does, we cherish our family traditions at Christmastime, especially in our little hometown of Chester, California, where five generations of our family have lived.
We always hope for snow and a white Christmas there in those beautiful Northern California mountains. And attending the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Mt. Lassen Community Church (which meets in our town’s newly renovated theatre) to celebrate Jesus’ birth is a special part of our family tradition, too.
One of the most fun and outrageous events for us occurs on Christmas Day.
As our large extended family gathers together, we also have a big white elephant gift exchange! It gets wild, with tons of laughter and memories made!
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed the Yuletide glimpse into the Norris family Christmas traditions as much as I have sharing them with you.
From Gena and me, Merry Christmas and Happy December! Now, go get happier and healthier by watching your favorite holiday movies!
(For more on the powers of fitness for mind, body and soul, please also read my weekly C-Force health & fitness column, which will be especially encouraging to you through the holidays and into the new year!)
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