Nicstalgia HQ’s 2025 Whimsy Report
When having fun is your North Star
HELLO new subscribers! Welcome to Nicstalgia, your Pop Culture PhD and cultural literacy guide to navigate the nostalgia industrial complex. Quick orientation: About Nicstalgia • Website • Instagram. So happy you’re here!!!!!!! 💖 💖 💖
In the words of Celine Dion, “Another year has gone by!!!!” Despite the fact that my year reads like a soap opera, I made the most of every curveball thrown my way. I’m going into 2026 having finally reached my longtime goal of breaking out of a creative silo.
I fully embraced my creative practice in its many forms, met awesome new friends and collaborators, did a lot of cool things, and hit the tip of the iceberg as to where it can all grow from here.
Nicstalgia is more to me than a weekly newsletter about pop culture, nostalgia, media, or entertainment – it’s truly a lifestyle.
Having fun will always be my North Star, so this is my highlight reel. Enjoy Nicstalgia HQ’s 2025 Whimsy Report!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for everything and see you next week/year!
Buying a secondhand iMac G3
I finally found my ultimate Wish List item on Facebook Marketplace with local pickup: an iMac G3!!!!!! (I wrote about that experience here, the surprising contents I found on the computer here, and a deep dive into my favorite movie genre, 2000s Comedies with Prominent iMac G3 Placement, here!)
Participating in the Childhood Delusions Film Festival
There’s a home video of me almost hitting my brand new baby sister on her first day home from the hospital with a [hollow plastic] baseball bat. I figured someday it would be on America’s Funniest Home Videos, but I did one even better in 2025: the Childhood Delusions Film Festival at the Kent Theater in Brooklyn! It was equal parts heartwarming and surreal watching my own home video on a movie screen, especially alongside friends I’ve known since high school, and hearing people laugh along. Watch the video here.
Sending Britney Spears Valentines
I sent out vintage Britney Spears foil Valentines cards to paid Nicstalgia subscribers in several states across the country. Sending snail mail was so exciting and delightful!!!
Using a physical calendar
I absolutely do not write on my vintage Britney calendars, and the dates on these particular ones are actually presented in a relatively illegible format, but I LOVE flipping the page every month. It’s the simple things.
Going to karaoke 8 times
I absolutely love singing and I realized that I need to do it as much as humanly possible. My favorite songs to sing were melodramatic showstoppers: “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and “The Reason” by Celine Dion, “Cry” by Faith Hill, “These Dreams” by Heart, and “All I Ever Wanted” by Mariah Carey.
Being told that I look like a member of The Corrs
Now THIS is how you flirt with me!!!! Meeting a man with as much (actually way more) music knowledge than I have was a tough feat, but mission accomplished! :)
Making guestbooks for my events
For my birthday, I had friends sign a dead-stock off-brand dollar store framed photo of Hilary Duff. For my New York City homecoming party, I had friends write notes, draw pictures, and place stickers on pages in the mini notebook with my high school senior picture on it. I unfortunately always forget to take pictures at events, and this is a really nice way to capture the moment in time.
Getting a permanent bracelet
I got it done by THE SOURCED STUDIO and love it! So subtle and pretty. The owner said I’m like Carrie Bradshaw (complimentary).
Making my Physical Media Renaissance™ Zine
The first iteration of my Physical Media Renaissance™ archiving project was featured in Rhizome’s SMALL BATCH: A Dataset Farmer’s Market curated by LARPA. Check out the zine here, more on the project here, and the podcast episode that inspired it all here. (The doc is long overdue for an update, but this project has been going for 3+ years strong! When everyone starts talking about “return of the analog” in 2026, remember PMR!!)
Performing in The Dance Collective’s Adult Showcase
Being a part of TDC community this year was so rewarding, and I was so excited to dance a jazz routine to “Sparkling Diamonds” from Moulin Rouge. Check out more about the experience here, and the article my lovely fellow dancer Michelle Ruiz wrote about performing as an adult for Bustle – in which I am referred to as a “born performer” !!!! – here.
Seeing the Celine Dion bathroom
I’d been wanting to stop at the Celine Dion/Titanic themed bathrooms at The Baroness in Long Island City, and it totally met my expectations. See the full experience here.
Buying a terrycloth sweatsuit
I have been a huge fan of terrycloth ever since the Spice Girls wore terry robes in Spice World. I love the color green and was channeling Paris and Nicole in my matching set. This is the #1 outfit I wore the most often this year.
Drawing in my fashion sketchbook
My friend and I started an Art Club this year where the two of us would meet biweekly and chat about our individual and shared artistic pursuits. (And drink wine, of course.) During one of these sessions, I took out my fashion sketchbook and drew characters from Mean Girls in their best outfits. I’ve always loved drawing and coloring, and having the croquis already there as an outline makes it easy and fun.
Collecting vintage pewter picture frames
My eBay search history is so deranged, but this particular collection was fun to start. Crazy how the most obscure things, like a picture frame, can jog your memory.
Going to a lot of concerts
Matthew Perpetua and I went to a lot of shows this year: of Montreal, Kylie Minogue, Charli XCX, Sleigh Bells, Vengaboys, Scissor Sisters, Kesha, Rilo Kiley, Garbage, Chappell Roan, MARINA, the B52s, DEVO, and Chromeo. Sleigh Bells was so fun. I’m a lifelong fan of the Vengaboys and B52s, and they were AMAZING. Kylie and Scissor Sisters were high up on my bucket list.
Also saw Simple Plan, Avril Lavigne (!!!!!!), Aly & AJ, and Melanie C (!!!!!!)’s DJ set. I’m very mad that there were allegedly 79687 people in front of me in the digital ticket queue for Hilary Duff tickets – because if I’m not going, who is? But even so, there will be many fun concert opps in 2026.
Making a custom Bubblegum Tote Bag
I love making bootleg pop culture merch, and this summer I wanted a tote bag I could bring everywhere. Mission accomplished! It includes dozens of logos of early 2000s bubblegum pop acts: Mikaila, A*Teens, Eden’s Crush, Dream, Wild Orchid, Willa Ford, M2M, S Club 7, Lindsay Pagano, Hoku, Samantha Mumba, Soluna, Myra, Play, Blaque, 702, 3LW, Innosense, Nobody’s Angel, Kaci Battaglia, PYT, and i5.
Hearing Lady Gaga’s The Fame in its entirety
Best date night of the year was at Anything. (Sadly, they close this week.) I walked into the bar/ restaurant and “LoveGame” was playing. Next came “Paparazzi”. I thought, “There’s no. way.” How did they know I was coming??? And just like that, The Fame was played in its entirety as I enjoyed my dinner and cocktail.
Writing “The American flag’s pop culture irony” for Nicstalgia
I’d been sitting on a piece about layers of irony for a long time, and I’m so glad to have finally gotten it out. Read it, and see a collage of all 25 Old Navy Fourth of July t-shirts, here.
Playing “What Do You Meme?”
I went on a girls’ trip this summer (where I only knew the organizer) and had a blast! We played the What Do You Meme? game, and I had fun not just because I won (Aries tendencies), but because it was really fun trying to glean which person picked which card. I love meeting new people and making friends, and this was a fantastic group. To know and be known is the best gift of life, no?
Getting obsessed with Gilmore Girls olive oil
Okay so it’s not technically Gilmore Girls olive oil, but it’s olive oil in one of the towns that inspired Stars Hollow. Every store in New Milford, CT is filled with GG Easter eggs.
Celebrating Kim Cattrall’s 69th birthday
My brilliant friend Kat Thek co-hosted Oh, Honey: The Kim Cattrall 69k in celebration of the inimitable Kim Cattrall’s 69th birthday. I did not take place in the running, because running is not my journey, but I did take part in the viewing party. A pic of me winning a round of SATC trivia was in the New York Post!
Teaching pop culture-themed elliptical fitness classes
I taught 181 classes in 365 days! Though Elliptica has closed, my playlists will live on forever. Check out my class theme archive here. (Sidebar: If you’re in NYC, I will be teaching dance cardio classes in Flatiron starting next week!)
Reading from What Not to Wear at the Lowbrow Book Club launch
I was SO excited to read at Jessica DeFino and Emily Kirkpatrick’s party to celebrate the Lowbrow Book Club launch and FLESH WORLD by Jessica DeFino rebrand! The theme was unhinged and deranged fashion and beauty essays, and I knew exactly what would fit the bill: A book by the hosts of The BBC’s What Not to Wear from 2002.
Taking a cross-country sister road trip
My sister moved away :( but we had our Crossroads moment :) across 9 states or so. We saw a giant Oscar Meyer wiener car at the gas station and a horse and buggy haul ass across a highway overpass. (It was Pennsylvania, after all.) Were we bored over the course of 19 hours? Absolutely not, because we listened to Like Every 2000s Song Ever.
Writing “Gym, Tan, Money Laundering” for Not Here to Make Friends
I was so excited to write a piece for Not Here to Make Friends, the zine about reality TV. “Gym, Tan, Money Laundering” is about Italian American representation on reality TV, particularly RHONJ and Jersey Shore. I mentioned in my piece that the gift shops in New York only make “HUG ME I’M 1/2 ITALIAN” shirts, so I made my own “HUG ME I’M 100% ITALIAN” shirt to wear to the launch event! Read an excerpt from the piece here and buy NHTMF Vol. 3 here.
Reading at Angelica’s Amazing Night Volume III
I was in great company at Angelica’s Amazing Night Volume III, hosted by my very funny, fellow Italian American friend Angelica Pasquini. I read Bottled Emotion horoscopes, which I originally wrote in 2024 as a supplement to the long-lost Bonne Bell fragrance’s epic 90s website. I’ve since been inspired to remake the fragrances myself, but we didn’t get to that this year. Maybe in 2026.
Being referred to as “a Gen-Z person who has a theory”
My Nicstalgia piece, the Halloween Costume Matrix, was mentioned in New York Magazine’s Substack by the lovely Emily Gould. When I told my sister, she said, “Which one? You have a lot of theories.” LOL.
I’m proud of my age (35), can flex that I haven’t had any work done, and have made really cool friends in their 40s and 50s that make me hopeful for the future and minimally afraid of aging. However, it’s good to know I can pass for Gen Z. Now I know how Alexa Demie feels.
Having my collage shown in an art gallery
My collage, “Obsolescence”, is currently on exhibit at URSA Gallery in Bridgeport, CT. It’s a part of the Parallel Cosmologies show, curated by Helen Kauder, showcasing collages from CT artists. Going to the opening made me so proud; I almost cried when I saw how beautifully everything was put together.
Buying a gigantic non-functional belt
One of my favorite 2000s fashion trends is a non-functional belt, so I got one for myself! I’m obsessed! (Real Nicstalgia-heads remember the Realistic 2000s Fashion episode of the video podcast from 2022! The episode is supplemented by the Pinterest board that includes dresses over jeans, “going out tops”, business casual, thin useless scarves, non-functional belts, very small shrugs/cropped vests, and more.)
Meeting Mona May, my favorite costume designer
Mona May has had a prolific career, designing for Clueless, Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Never Been Kissed, and many others. I was excited to meet her at her The Fashion of Clueless book event in Brooklyn. I didn’t wanna be crazy by bringing all of my DVDs for her to sign (I just brought Romy & Michele), but she says I should have!! They say never to meet your heroes, but she was so gracious and kind. She canonized what she calls a “weird but still cool” (e.g. campy, over-the-top, hyper-feminine, quirky) look that I’ve always admired.
Getting back to dance class
I found my new favorite jazz class!!!! It’s called SLUTTY JAZZ at GOOD MOVE in Williamsburg. I’d been to the studio years ago, and it’s great to be back. Davon is an amazing instructor – dynamic yet patient, with a focus on technique.
Coding the Pop Culture Advent Calendar
I took the School for Poetic Computation’s HTTPoetics course over the summer and was so excited to make some more fun websites. Nicstalgia Presents: Pop Culture Advent Calendar, looking back on celebrity and entertainment culture from 2005, is my favorite thing I’ve made this year.
Writing “My Pool House or Yours” for Are.na Annual
I was ecstatic to write about the swimming pools of The O.C. for Are.na Annual!! The theme of this year’s book was ‘pools’, and I interpreted that quite literally. I’ll share more about the piece with you in the new year, but in the meantime, you can buy the book here and check out my “Pools of The O.C.” Are.na board here.
Huge thank you to the paid subscribers who support my work: Janine, Marie, Liv, CY, Matthew, Emily, Gina, Reed, Taylor, Alejandra, and Jess! À la Jessica Simpson, I’m gonna love you forever 💐💐💐
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I am obsessed with every bit of this!! Finding your newsletter this year was definitely part of my whimsy in 2025! [A*Teens voices]: Happy new yeeeear, Nicole!
I’m a new subscriber, but even though I’m Gen X, I can tell you’re right up my alley!