Putting up Christmas decorations early can be good for you, according to psychologists, who say their presence makes people 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,” psychoanalyst Steve McKeown told Unilad.
“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.”
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Decorating can fill people with joy and also prompt them to share it with others, as it projects a friendly appearance to neighbours, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
Christmas may bring on “a bittersweet feeling”, said psychotherapist Amy Morin. “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 with that individual.”
Twitter users are, of course, divided on the subject. Some suggested that anyone objecting to early decorations is essentially a Grinch.
And many had a set family tradition from which they refused to stray:
But others insist that decorating before December is premature: