Some people feel very strongly that Christmas decorations shouldn’t be put up until after Thanksgiving has passed, or even until December has started. While that’s fine for those people, I’m all about getting into the holiday spirit early. How early? I plead the fifth on that. However, turns out I don’t have to feel bad for it. In fact, experts suggest that putting up your holiday decorations early can make you happier!
- Who doesn’t love Christmas? While the holidays can obviously be really tough for people who’ve experienced loss or other trauma, for most people who celebrate it, Christmas is a time of joy and happiness. It’s no wonder that we want to grab onto that as soon as humanly possible and hold onto it for as long as we can too!
- It’s worth getting excited about. As psychoanalyst Steve McKeown told Unilad, “In a world full of stress and anxiety, people like to associate to things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of the childhood. Decorations are simply an anchor or pathway to those old childhood magical emotions of excitement. So putting up those Christmas decorations early extends the excitement!” That makes perfect sense!
- Decorating is also good for making friends. Putting up your holiday decorations early can have another unexpected benefit: helping you make new buddies! As per the Journal of Environmental Psychology, your neighbors are more likely to see you as accessible and friendly when you show off your festive side. What better way to connect with those around you?
- Focusing on the holidays just makes you feel better. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone and we all need as much positivity as we can get. That’s why psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Amy Morin thinks that putting up your decorations for the holidays early can only be a good thing. “Nostalgia helps link people to their personal past and it helps people understand their identity. For many, putting up Christmas decorations early is a way for them to reconnect with their childhoods,” she explained. Even if you’ve lost someone, you can feel connected with them and remember the happy times you shared by celebrating.
- In other words, time to get the Christmas tree out. Oh, not yet? Fine, I’ll give it another couple of weeks!
