Christmas seems to arrive earlier and earlier every year. But according to psychology experts, that is not a bad thing. People who break out the tinsel and fairy lights early may simply be more nostalgic and in touch with their inner child.
When you put up your decorations early, it makes you happier, by helping you to reconnect with a time before the stresses and strains of adult life.
Steve McKeown, a psychoanalyst, founder of MindFixers and owner of The McKeown Clinic, based in St Albans, believes that people should get into the Christmas spirit as early as possible.
“Scrooges may be depriving themselves of lost feelings of joyful innocence by bemoaning the arrival of the festive season,” he says.
Mr. McKeown said: “Although there could be a number of symptomatic reasons why someone would want to obsessively put up decorations early, 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 with 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!”
Research has found that decorating the outside of your house makes you appear more friendly to your neighbors.
The Journal of Environmental Psychology published a study where experts found that participants rated decorated houses as more ‘friendly and cohesive.’
Putting your Christmas decorations up early may serve as a signal to your neighbors that you are part of the community.
However, the holidays can also be a bittersweet time for many, serving as a reminder of loved ones we can no longer share them with.
By putting up decorations early, you can help honor memories.
Amy Morin, psychotherapist and best-selling author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,” said “Perhaps the holidays serve as a reminder of when a loved one was still alive. Or maybe looking at a Christmas tree reminds someone of what life was like when they still believed in Santa. For people who have lost a loved one, the holidays may serve as a reminder of happy times they had with that person in the past.”
“Decorating early may help them feel more connected to that individual.”
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