When Should You Put Up Your Christmas Decorations?

Author: Corinne   Date Posted:4 September 2019 

The proof is in – we are happier when we hang Christmas stuff early!

Christmas Lights already? – You’re kidding right??

The proof is in – we are happier when we hang Christmas stuff early!

Psychologists tell us that those who break out the Christmas lights and decorations early, like before (maybe well before) Melbourne Cup, tend to be happier than the rest of us who think we have to wait.

Results of a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that not only do we use festive decorations on our homes to suggest that we are friendly, neighbourly and accessible, but that those viewing images of decorated homes perceive the residents as so.

Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown says people like to associate with things that make them happy. Since many people associate Christmas decorations with happy childhood memories of the holiday, putting up the decorations early evokes those emotions and memories and extends the excitement of the season for them.

"In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of the childhood," McKeown explains. He goes on to say that extending the season of excitement surrounding the holidays just naturally ups one's mood.

Don't let anybody tell you that you can't start getting Christmasy early. Be the happiest you that you can be.

So when do we put up the lights?

There’s practicality – a lot goes in to planning and organising your display and where everything will go this year. Unraveling rope lights, icicle and string lights, finding the controllers, working out if you have enough extensions and splitters and just checking that everything is working…. before putting them up


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