The Cure for Holiday Blues
“How to Build a Life” is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. Click here to listen to his new podcast series on all things happiness, How to Build a Happy Life.
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,” croons the voice stuck in your head after a few minutes in CVS. “Just like the ones I used to know.” This Christmas carol, like most, is an anthem for mental time travel. Humans have the ability to project ourselves into the future and past, and even to do so simultaneously: We dream about a future Christmas that is like the old days. This time of year, we zigzag between the excitement and anticipation of the next few weeks and the warmth and sentimentality of past occasions.
And in between the past and future?
