8 in 10 parents wish they could relive the holiday magic of their childhood

Eight in 10 parents are longing for holidays’ past (81%), according to new research.Two surveys, each of 2,000 parents of children ages 5 to 17, explored the nostalgia parents feel for their own childhood celebrations — and how they’re trying to preserve that same sense of magic for their children today.Those polled often or always wish they could go back and experience the way the holidays felt when they were kids.If they could turn back the clock, the ’90s may be the place to go: Nearly a third of parents (31%) say the decade had the best holiday celebrations, more than any other decade.Commissioned by Club Wyndham, a vacation club that encourages connection and together time, and conducted by Talker Research, one of the surveys found that 93% of parents regularly or occasionally recreate elements of the holidays they experienced as children for their own families.“There’s something about the holidays that brings you right back to being a kid — the traditions, the movies, the food and all those little rituals you looked forward to every year,” said Annie Roberts, senior vice president of Club and Owner Services at Club Wyndham.“What’s especially meaningful is seeing parents bring those traditions into their own homes while creating new ones with their kids.That mix of celebrating nostalgia and making new shared memories is really what the holidays are all about.”Family traditions and rituals are what parents miss most about the holidays growing up (44%), followed by home-cooked family recipes (39%) and uninterrupted time together as a family (34%).Parents are also nostalgic for the holiday movies and specials everyone watched together (32%), the surprise of not knowing what gifts they’d receive (30%), how homes were decorated (29%) and playing games or doing activities together (28%).That desire to hold onto holiday magic may feel particularly meaningful as parents watch their own children grow up.Parents believe age 6 is the most magical ...