Laurier expert alert: Holiday season and New Year’s

Dec. 17, 2020
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Wilfrid Laurier University has experts available to speak about a variety of topics related to the holidays and New Year’s, including the history of holiday celebrations in Canada, tips for sticking to New Year’s resolutions and expectations on parents during the holidays.

Laurier is closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 5, reopening Jan. 6. Please reach out directly to faculty members during this time.

History, traditions and culture

Cynthia Comacchio is a professor in the Department of History. She is an expert on the history of childhood, gender and families in Canada and the social and cultural impacts of war in Canada. She is available to speak about how families have celebrated the holiday season over the years.

Michel Desjardins, professor emeritus in Laurier’s Religion and Culture program, is an expert on food, culture and religion. He would be able to comment on the role of feasting during the holidays and throughout the year for many religions. Contact: 250.915.7272 or mdesjardins@wlu.ca

Lisa Wood is an associate professor in Youth and Children’s Studies and English. She is an expert on children’s popular culture, marketing and media and is available to speak about gift shopping for children and expectations on parents during the holidays.  Contact: lwood@wlu.ca

Resolutions

Kim Dawson, professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education, is an expert on sport psychology and performance. She has worked with athletes of all types, including Olympic athletes, to prepare them for top performance under pressure. She is available to speak about how to maintain the motivation to stay healthy and reach fitness goals. Contact: kdawson@wlu.ca or 519.807.6653

Tom Hazell, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, is studying the potential for intense exercise to reduce appetite and alter metabolism. He is also studying the short and long-term benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). He is available to speak about ways to stay fit and healthy while in isolation. Contact: thazell@wlu.ca

Anne Wilson is a professor in the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on how people’s identities shift over time, how people reconstruct the past and envision the future, and how this affects the present. She has studied goal pursuit, personal and collective memories and beliefs about change and stability, among other topics.

She is available to speak about:

• How people set goals and why they succeed or fail at these goals. She’s also researched how landmarks, such as New Year’s Day, are symbolic turning points and how this can affect our motivation to make changes. 
• The importance of small daily behaviours (exercise, hobbies, social connections, etc.) in long-term happiness and well-being over big moments, such as life milestones, trips and achieving goals, which may be out of reach.
• Why time might feel slower during the pandemic and why “before” and “after” times may seem especially far away; why memories from before the pandemic might help improve mood; and why it’s challenging to find motivation when the future is uncertain.

Contact: awilson@wlu.ca