Are you having a little trouble finding your holiday cheer this year? If you’ve decked the halls, listened to the carols and watched the festive flicks and you’re still not feeling the Christmas cheer yet, it could just be that you’re not the right age. Because new research finds that the magic of the season officially peaks at two special ages.
They say Christmas is for kids, so it makes sense that the first age when Christmas magic hits hardest is seven years old. That’s when little ones are old enough to know what’s coming and they’re basically bubbling with excitement about Santa coming down the chimney soon. But the second peak is a bit surprising, as it happens at the very grown up age of 33, at least according to researchers from the holiday company Santa’s Lapland.
So what’s so special about being seven or 33 that means you really get into the Christmas spirit at that age? Dr. Amanda Gummer, a research psychologist who specializes in child development, explains, “Christmas magic peaks when children are old enough to remember previous Christmases, get involved in the arts and crafts and enjoy Christmas traditions.” She says the reasons that magic doesn’t last throughout childhood is that as kids get older, peer pressure kicks in and suddenly Christmas magic can “seem uncool.”
- While Santa’s Lapland researchers say the second wave of Christmas magic is “equally as strong” at 33, they don’t offer an explanation about why it happens at that specific age.
Source: Metro