National Retro Day: Why It's Cool To Be Old-School!

Does a a song from your teen years make you smile whenever you hear it? Do you make awesome chocolate chip cookies but still think they're not as good as Aunty Jean's? Do you like nothing better than competing in Magic tournaments? Do you often think the world we live in has gone batsh*t crazy - and not just because of the pandemic? If so, then be thankful that National Retro Day is coming up because this day was made for you!

National Retro Day is a day when we let the wave of nostalgia wash over us; reminisce over our childhoods and teen years; remember the simplicity of the past, and try to get through the day with as few distractions from modern day life as possible! Although National Retro Day is celebrated in America, there's no reason why nostalgia addicts all over the world - or anyone who wants to give a nod to the simpler times of the past - shouldn't participate in this fabulous event. So let's take a look at what this day is all about and how to observe it - as well as why it's so good for us and our wellbeing!

WHAT IS NATIONAL RETRO DAY?

National Retro Day falls on 27th February every year - and has done so since 2018 - and is the brainchild of Hermelinda A. Aguilar, Robert Duran, and Tina Duran. It's a day in which we celebrate our love for all things retro - with the emphasis on embracing simpler times and avoiding the distractions of modern day life. It's a day to forget about likes, followers and hashtags; it's a day to ignore who's saying what on social media, and it's a day to switch the devices off and party like it's 1999.

Bring back the eighties! With thanks to Pixabay

WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF NATIONAL RETRO DAY?

It's twofold: it's to get our retro on and celebrate all that was good about the last half of the twentieth century with regards to fashion, music, activities etc. But it's also a day to get away from the distraction of modern day technology, be more present in the here and now, and embrace life the old school way - just for one day! There's lots of great things about modern day life (with the exception of the pandemic of course!) but most of us can agree that life today is very frantic, hectic, and rush, rush, rush! And when we're not rushing around, we're zombified, constantly glued to our gadgets and not 'living in the moment.' NRD aims to slow things down and embrace the simpler things in life as we did back in the day. And that does NOT include devices!

THE EFFECT OF NOSTALGIA ON OUR WELL-BEING

We all know that dwelling heavily on the past and refusing to live in the here and now is not healthy at all. But a good dose of nostalgia; reminiscing about good times, and sharing happy memories can have a positive effect on our health and well-being. Whether it's looking at old photos or home movies; watching shows you loved as a child; or cooking old family favourites, nostalgia can help to improve our mood, alleviate stress and make us feel a lot calmer.

It can also improve your relationships with others by developing a deeper connection to your family, its roots and traditions, and can also help strengthen intergenerational bonds. Furthermore, it can give people a greater sense of identity and more meaning or purpose to life by piecing together the jigsaw puzzle that is the picture of their life's story. Nostalgic memories are said to be different to other memories in the sense that they have a deeper emotional quality and a positive connection to your childhood, family life and generally happy times in the past. Nostalgia provides a way to re-live or re-enact good times throughout your life, which may well give you a much needed boost when you're going through tough times.

Nostalgia can also create a sense of community and belonging. Just look at all the groups and clubs for people who love the popular culture of a particular decade, in which they can meet and connect with like-minded people who share their passion, and with whom they can share memories. As we all know, it's so good when you finally find 'your tribe!'

THE NEED TO DISCONNECT... FROM TECHNOLOGY

Do you remember when that little rectangular device in our pockets was for making and receiving calls only? Do you remember even further back when leaving the house with a phone seemed like the impossible dream??? Well today we can't live without our mobile phones which seem to perform a million and one functions! In fact we can't seem to live without any kind of technological gadget, and if Wi-Fi is down even for five minutes - it almost feels as though someone has cut off our oxygen supply!

We live in an age where there is an app or a gadget for just about everything, and we'd be lying if we said that we didn't enjoy living in a period of great technological advancements and where we can get everything at the click of a button and at our door the next day. But many of us are also well aware that there is a downside to being connected all the time. And one of the disadvantages is that ironically it has made us a little disconnected - from ourselves, from reality and from each other! Many people agree that we seem to have lost that human connection. We find ourselves at the beck and call of our gadgets; we buy into the seemingly perfect life of the latest social media darling, and despite having five thousand 'friends' on Facebook, loneliness has become a severe issue of pandemic-like proportions sweeping over the nation.

National Retro Day is a day to unplug, unwind, slow down and have fun the old-fashioned way. It's a day to take it back to more simpler times before the internet, Wi-Fi, and social media started to take over our daily lives. Whenever we think back to highlights from our childhoods, we think about simple pleasures and quality time spent with the people we love. National Retro Day reminds us of how good it is to look back at these great times and remember to spend some time away from the demands of new technology and modern day living. It's a day to create some new retro-inspired memories, and live in the moment without a gadget in the palm of our hands!

SO WHAT EXACTLY DO I HAVE TO DO FOR NATIONAL RETRO DAY?

One of the prerequisites for National Retro Day is that you stay as unplugged as much as possible - or better still, you stay completely unplugged. Which means no endlessly scrolling through your phone, no constant social media use, no being glued to your laptop. The aim is to live as simply as possible - for one day! We're taking it back to the days of in-person, face-face-connection;* family meals eaten around the dining table and not in front of the telly; when kids spent time outside the house and explored more than just the web, and participated in activities that didn't require Wi-Fi. Do you get it now? National Retro Day is a day to do all things the old school way!

Just a few things you can do for National Retro Day

There are many things you can do in order to celebrate retro-ness in all it's nostalgic glory. The creators of NRD encourage celebrants to participate in activities that fall into one of these four categories: wear it, play it, drive it, and show it. Frengellica decided to add a few more unofficial categories just because we wanted to: make it, attend it, consume it, read it, watch it, do it!

Read on for celebratory ideas.

WEAR IT

• Wear retro clothes relating to your chosen decade. Some classic retro clothes might include ra-ra skirts, drainpipes, bell bottoms, ripped jeans, 'Choose Life' T-shirts, leather jackets, platform shoes, shell suits, puffball dresses etc.

• Certain designers are synonymous with certain decades so you could always dress in Chanel, Mary Quant, Karl Kani, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ossie Clark etc.

• Think about classic retro hairstyles. Get your quiffs, pompadours, beehives and perms in order!

• Rock make-up that is associated with your chosen decade.

• Accessories often get overlooked, so don't forget those chokers, peace sign medallions, bandanas, and retro hair bobbles.

• Wear a watch. We know, right! Who even does that any more!

PLAY IT

• Play those retro video game consoles - Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Atari 2600, Sega Saturn, etc.

• Play a classic board game such as Scrabble, Monopoly, Ludo, Risk, Axis and Allies etc.

• Listen to your collection of vinyls, cassette tapes, or compact discs.

• Pick a particular musical genre - rock 'n' roll, glam rock, disco, techno, hip-hop, punk - or a particular artist - Elvis, Diana Ross, Rolling Stones, David Bowie. Or you could just listen to a big retro selection!

• Play music on a non-internet jukebox.

• If you're the proud owner of a vintage instrument - play it!

DRIVE IT

• If you have a classic vehicle, be sure to get it out on the road.

SHOW IT OFF

• If you collect any kind of vintage memorabilia, now's your chance to show them off: Milk bottles, vintage magazines, sports cards, movie posters, action figures...

• This'll be your opportunity, if you're a pop fan, to display all the merch you've collected over the years.

• If you're into retro styling, showcase the hair and make up skills you've learned with the help of your trusty polaroid!

• Rock retro-style clothes that you've sewn/crocheted/knitted yourself

• Those of you who have styled your home in retro fashion may want to take this opportunity to highlight your interior design skills

MAKE IT

• Indulge in crafts that were popular back in the day - macramé, tie-dying, paper marbling, model aeroplanes etc.

• Cook or bake something from a vintage cookbook

• Sew/knit/crochet a retro-inspired item of clothing

• Create old-school soft furnishings for your home

ATTEND IT

• See a movie at a drive-in theater.

• Have a date at an old-school fifties style diner

• Go to an arcade.

• Head to a roller rink. Roller disco anyone!

• Go to an eighties event

CONSUME IT

• Have dinner around a table with your family or friends.

• Eat at the oldest restaurant/café/diner in your neighbourhood

• Grab dinner at a drive-in restaurant.

• Scoff a pack of those sweets and chocolates you couldn't get enough of as a kid.

• Create a three course meal based on dishes that were popular at your chosen time.

READ IT

• Read a print newspaper or magazine.

• Read a book - not an eBook!

• Choose a well known retro novel - Valley of the Dolls; The Handmaid's Tale, Midnight's Children, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

• Read something by an author who was popular during a particular period - Harold Robbins, Jackie Collins, Barbara Taylor Bradford

• Reread a book from a series you were addicted to as a teen - Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, Babysitters Club

WATCH IT

• Stick on a VHS tape/DVD and watch a retro film: Rebel Without a Cause; Psycho; The Graduate; Diamonds Are Forever; The Shining; Jaws; The Omen; Star Wars, The Godfather; Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, E.T. The Terminator; Sister Act; Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump... take your pick!

• Watch an old television show: Dallas, Dynasty; Friends; Happy Days; Hill Street Blues; St. Elsewhere; Cold Feet; Starsky and Hutch; Dukes of Hazard...

• Check out documentaries about past decades

• Watch a TV show or film that absolutely screams a particular decade: Valley of the Dolls (1960s) Abigail's Party (1970s) Wall Street (1980s)

• Watch a type of TV format that was once super popular but now... not so much (damn you, reality TV!) - quiz shows; comedy sketch shows; candid camera type shows, TV anthology series etc.

DO IT!

• Call someone on a landline telephone - rotary, cordless, or push button. It's all good!

• Send someone a handwritten letter

• Go outside and play some sports

• Go for a bike ride

• Don those rollerblades and go for a skate along the beach/in the park

• Use a clock, an actual clock, for the time. And not your phone

• If you have trouble adding up digits, use a calculator. An actual calculator. Not your phone

• Use a non-digital camera to take pics

• Pretend it's 1985 and use a notebook and pen!

This may seem to be a bit of a contradiction considering that we're all supposed to be offline, but one of the official suggestions for National Retro Day is to share what fantastical retro magic you're getting up to on social media, using the hashtag #NationalRetroDay. But there's no reason why you can't post something the night before of what you plan to do. Or you could take pics on the day and post them the next morning. That sounds fair enough and we're sure you won't get carted away by the retro police! The important thing is that you enjoy this day and have fun - lots of it.

*At the time of writing this post, we are well aware that the world is still in the midst of the pandemic which will inevitably limit the kind of activities you can do this year depending on the rules of where you live. Remember there's always next year when hopefully life will return to some kind of normal!

Happy Retro Day!!! Enjoy!

Photos: Pixabay

Blog graphics: Angel Noire