Being a lover of all things Christmas, I always want the house to be full of Christmas decorations as soon as possible without the scrooges amongst us judging me. The sooner I can get into the festive spirit the better. And, now it seems as though the proof is indeed in the Xmas pudding!
It’s Official
I stumbled across an article recently that confirmed that putting up your Christmas decorations early can make you feel happier. Psychoanalyst and owner of the The McKeown Clinic, Steve McKeown explained to UNILAD:
“Although there could be a number of symptomatic reasons why someone would want to obsessively put up decorations early. It’s most commonly for nostalgic reasons, either to relive the magic or to compensate for past neglect.
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 extend the excitement!”
So, decorate your home with lights and childhood keepsakes as soon as you like, as science tells us that those happy and relaxed festive vibes will follow. It’s also a sign to the neighbours that you are ‘friendly’ and ‘accessible’ to those around you, according to the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Think of it as a way to “integrate into a neighbourhood’s social activities”. It all makes total sense!
It’s the green light to put up your Christmas decorations early for the sake of your own happiness and those around you. Relying on the words of science, you’re basically being a good neighbour and everyone needs those.
Inspiration
It may also be the year to advance your Christmas decor and try something new. This could mean a different coloured Christmas tree, white anyone? Or, different colour tinsel in each room that matches the decor of its surroundings. Paper decorations and bunting are also lovely.
All Christmas traditions start somewhere and many of them we practice today such as sending cards and decorating Christmas trees and even crackers can actually be attributed to the Victorians, who enjoyed a great Christmas knees up before we did. In fact, Christmas trees were first introduced to the UK in 1800, courtesy of Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III. Queen Charlotte brought the tradition from her native Germany, where having a Christmas tree was an established custom and since then, we’ve never looked back.
And, there’s nothing wrong with sprinkling a little white dust of happiness with the help of your favourite Christmas decorations. They create nostalgia around all those childhood Christmases, help you remember and connect with memories of the past, so you can make this year the best and most memorable yet. With all the science to back it up and the nod from experts to decorate as early as we like, there’s no judgement here on how early is too early (though maybe wait until we are at least in winter). I’m totally with you when it comes to spreading the festive joy.
I’d love to hear when you put your decorations up, if these findings may prompt you to raid the loft before the four Sundays before Christmas, and what your festive favourites are.
You can may also find How To Make a Gingerbread House and A Buyer’s Guide to Artificial Christmas Trees helpful reads. It’s also never to early to prep.