Happy National Retro Day! We talk about healthy and unhealthy nostalgia at Gen X Watch often. Today is the day to have fun with nostalgia, lean into it, and have a little bit of fun.
Why Does National Retro Day Exist?
In 2018 Hermelinda A. Aguilar and Robert and Tina Duran founded national retro day. It is a day to remember when, have a little bit of fun, and be present with those around you and experience tangible things that bring good memories.
You can also celebrate the memories of a time you never lived in but are fascinated by.
Wanna be in the 20’s rocking a flapper dress? Be a greaser in the 50’s? A hippie in the 60’s? Go back to the 80’s or the 90’s? You do you!
The Surface Fun
Every day there are multiple national day of this or that. Lean into this one. It can be so much more than just styling your hair, getting that vintage outfit put together, and strike a pose while jamming to a favorite artist. Many stop at speaking of simpler times before internet and cell phones (and they also miss that the 90’s and 00’s had both those things and now a retro period). The times then were not simpler but we understood the complexities, but for many reasons are special to us.
These surface things are fun to have ‘remember when’ moments and you should enjoy those. But there is an opportunity to dig deeper.
Digging Deeper
There are ways you can make new memories while remembering the old ones. Here are a few ways to dive into the most sublime aspects of healthy nostalgia.
The Old Friend
On social media we have friends we have known since childhood, high school, college, and other formative moments. Take one or two of them today, reach out with a memory and a bit of gratitude. Ask them if you can schedule some time this evening or in the very near future to spend a little time together. It can be in person, video chat, or even a phone call.
Take the moments you have together to intentionally tell them what the friendship then meant, the things you wish you had said, and say them now. And it is okay if these moments involve serious things. Those hard moments you were there for one another mean something and need to be discussed. Let them know they made a difference and you will likely hear the same thing back.
NeXt Gen
Maybe you have a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, nibling, or younger neighbor or co worker. Ask them for a pop culture swap day. There are so many things you can do in this regard.
Music Swap-Play an album or artist of your favorite music and then enjoy some of their favorite tracks.
Movie Swap-Watch a favorite movie from your youth and ask them to play their favorite movie. You two get a double feature together!
Activity Swap-Did you go bowling or play a lot of mini golf or pool or darts or hit the arcade? Take them out to do that and then do something they like to do.
These are just a few ideas, but it is a time to step into each other’s worlds and maybe find some common bonds.
The Feast
Maybe your mom made goulash or when you were young there was nothing as wondrous as a grilled cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off dipped into tomato soup.
If you do not have that recipe, google it. As the aromas fill your home, your heart will be taken somewhere else. The olfactory senses and taste buds are powerful invokers of memories.
And if your childhood did not have those special meal memories, maybe there is something else. A favorite pizza or even a bowl of $1 ramen related to the days of struggle and youth. Whatever it is, dig in!
Go to Your Room!
Some memories, both sublime and bittersweet, need to be done alone and that is okay. That yearbook or photo album or box of letters are for you and you alone. It could be a song on the headphones, a special movie or episode of a tv show you have not thought of in years. Maybe a few chapters from a book that gave you comfort or made you think.
You could even journal about some of those moments of the past both sweet and bittersweet. Believe it or not, when you are gone (and life is short) little writings like that can become treasure to someone who loves you.
If you have a partner or room mates or kids, you have permission on this day of all days to tell them you need to go to your room and be alone for awhile.
The Retro Challenge
We want to know what you did today to recognize National Retro Day!
Comment in the comments section!
Go on your socials and tell us too. GenXWatch is on FB, Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram. Whatever you do today, please hashtag #genxwatch and #nationalretroday. If it is too personal, DM us @genxwatch on any of those platforms, we will keep it private and treasure what you share.
Rediscover the 80s in Pat Green’s New Book!
Ford is a traumatized former child model. Cassie is the epitome of DIY punk with a life full of poverty and pain serving smoothies at the Orange Julius. Finally there is Jenny, a young preppy with talent and dreams held back by a society not designed for women like her.
As their lives intersect in the late 1980’s at the Fox Valley Mall in Aurora, Illinois, there will be love, confusion, and dangerous adversaries with wealth and power. Ford, Cassie and Jenny just have each other. Will it be enough? How do they survive as Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World?
By going to the indiegogo, you can not only secure yourself advance copies of the book, special merch, and experiences, but you get to help provide copies to teens that live in shelters and seek resources in community centers. You also provide opportunities for ASL translators at our speaking events about this wonderful book. Go to the link, get your copy, and help others!
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Stay Totally Awesome!
Stay True to You!
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