Perhaps because people are spending more time at home, they’ll take any excuse to brighten things up in this crazy year.
Getting ready for the holidays is happening earlier this year, perhaps because people are spending more time at home and they’ll take any excuse to brighten things up in this crazy year.
So people are already preparing to put up their Christmas lights earlier this year.
If you’re itching to break out the Christmas lights before you’ve even carved the Thanksgiving turkey, go ahead – psychologists say it might make you happier.
The British website Unilad reported in 2017 that people who decorate earlier are simply tapping into the excitement of the holidays before the rest of us – which makes them happier.
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.
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.
If you’re someone who has happy childhood memories of the holidays, then you’re more likely to want to re-create that feeling sooner rather than later, which you might do by hanging up Christmas lights, for example. There’s a flip side, though. If holidays dredge up bad memories from childhood, then you might be the person who hates when decorations pop up in the grocery store before October.
There’s another possible benefit to decorating early, though: The neighbors might think you’re friendlier. Research has shown that people interpret Christmas decorations on a home as a cue that the people inside are sociable.
So if you’re post-Halloween plans include shopping for a Christmas tree, we won’t judge you. In fact, there’s a good chance we’ll be right behind you!
