(FamVeld / Shutterstock.com)
Thanksgiving is over and with the holiday shopping season underway, you may be thinking about putting up the tree and the Christmas lights. While some may say it is way too early, don’t worry. Inviting the Christmas spirit early could produce a longer lasting feeling of goodwill and joy, according to Good Housekeeping. And isn’t that what everyone needs right now?
What’s Early?
But what is actually considered ringing in the holidays early? In Victorian times people put their trees up on Christmas eve and left them up for 12 days. Since the trees usually held lit candles, taking it down before the tree dried out was probably a very good idea.
Today with the advent of electric lights and artificial trees, fires are not that big a concern and people put their trees up earlier. In fact, Christmas tree sales begin around Thanksgiving, reported Forbes. Christmas tree prices are usually lower now than when it gets closer to the holiday.
(Sascha Burkard / Shutterstock.com)
Putting Decorations up Early Increases Happiness
Putting up Christmas decorations can make you happier. That’s because decorating can lift your mood, according to TODAY. “I think anything that takes us out of our normal habituation, the normal day in, day out ... signals our senses, and then our senses measure if it's pleasing or not,” Psychologist Deborah Serani told TODAY. “Christmas decorating [in particular] will spike dopamine, a feel-good hormone,” she added.
But what is so different about Christmas decorations as opposed to just changing home décor? Serani explained that it has to do with bright lights and colors which can act like color-therapy and boost both energy levels and happiness. So, get out the lights and the ornaments and start the holiday season off early.
(New Africa / Shutterstock.com)
Holiday Decorations are Nostalgic
For so many, digging out the Christmas decorations is a trip down memory lane. And if you have happy childhood memories of the season than you probably want to recreate those feelings.
Christmas time is also a time of community and connections. Putting up decorations reminds people of these happy times, stressed Clinical psychologist Dr Georgia Halls, she told Good Housekeeping, . “It’s an activity we usually share with others and has an element of familiarity, which can be very comforting.”
The act of holiday decorating also brings comfort because it is a yearly ritual, something you are used to doing, stressed Good Housekeeping. Performing rituals like trimming the tree, lighting candles, baking cookies, or filling your home with the scents of the season can help chase away the winter darkness and bring you light.
(Tatiana Gordievskaia / Shutterstock.com)
