During the holiday season many of us confront renewed nostalgia. As a relatively new nurse, my current holiday nostalgia centers largely on life before nursing; formerly employed in non-nursing professions, I blithely took it for granted that my holidays (and weekends and evenings) would forever be spent, relaxing with family around a warm meal or hearth.

As a hospital nurse, I know those days are gone, at least for the foreseeable future. Instead of warm hearths, my holidays center around beds of ailing patients and nursing stations where we endlessly chart on (sometimes ailing) computers. I occasionally get homesick for a desk and computer to call my own, for support staff and administrators who are available on those off-hours when nurses are required to work, and for easy access and time for bathrooms and meals. Yet, meanwhile, I am building new holiday memories which, no doubt, will one day lead to nostalgia for these extraordinary days gone by.

It is different for the seasoned nurse. In listening to long-term nurses, I hear their nostalgia for long extinct nursing memories. They pensively describe those times “back in the day” where crisp white uniforms were the norm. They describe predictable, professional attire, complete with pristine caps. I sometimes hear nurses reminisce about handwritten charts flowing with three colors of ink (one per shift), eight-hour shifts, gloveless hands, metal (ice cold!) bedpans, mercury thermometers and manual blood pressure devices, hand-cranked beds, patients calmly smoking in their rooms without fear of a visit from hospital security, and a time when there was no nursing shortage. And I wonder, was it really so much better (or worse) back then, or does the mind play tricks over time?

Patient nostalgia also seems to peak this time of year. If not overdone, patient reminiscing can be a healthy pastime. Although nurses are incredibly busy, it can be very rewarding to provide to our patients the holiday “gift” of a listening ear. Assisting patients in recalling comforting memories can benefit both patient and nurse. The process of listening honors the patient by recognizing their unique history; it can also lead to personal insight for nurses. Although we are all very short of time, especially this time of year, what better gift to give our patients, than our presence at their bedside? Perhaps all of our spirits can all be lifted and renewed by sharing in these special recollections with our patients.

While bathing your patient or performing wound care, consider asking them about favorite holiday memories or family meals. What better way to build new holiday memories? Perhaps one day we will find ourselves nostalgic for those tender holiday moments spent with patients and other nurses, sharing unique hospital holiday traditions.