I belong to the five percent of the world’s population who put up Christmas decorations right after the clock strikes 12 on Oct. 31st—and science has a very good reason why we exist.
According to psychologists, people who put up Christmas decorations early are happier and more nostalgic. Think of them as like time machines taking us back into the happy memories of our childhood. Call us annoying, but we find the chore therapeutic and calming. “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,” says psychoanalyst Steve McKeown in an interview with Unilad.
The holiday season is a hodgepodge of memories, both happy and sad. In fact, Christmas makes us happy because it makes us sad (confusing, I know). Psychotherapist Amy Morin explains that nostalgia helps people connect loved ones to their personal past thus helping them understand their identity. “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 reconnected with that individual,” Morin adds.
With that said, don’t be a Grinch this Christmas. Instead, give yourself a chance and start decking the halls with boughs of holly (literally).
Photos courtesy of Unsplash
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