Putting your Christmas decorations up now makes you happier, according to expert

Are you feeling a bit down in the dumps lately? Have those September blues hit you hard? If so, there could be a very sparkly, tinsel-laden solution. 

Christmas decorations! 

I have to admit, as someone who is more than happy to throw together a plastic Christmas tree and handed-down baubles at midnight on December 23rd, it pains me sightly to write this but according to a number of psychologists, putting up your festive Christmas decorations in September can significantly boost your happiness and overall wellbeing. 

Psychologist and owner of The McKeown Clinic, Steve McKeown, told Unilad that the secret to happiness is indeed the twinkling fairy lights and rustling tinsel associated with Christmas time, though it is linked strongly with the need for ‘childhood nostalgia’ and ‘happier times.’

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He explained: “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 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 extend the excitement!”

Amy Morin, psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, seconded McKeown’s view, explaining that nostalgia helps to link people to their personal past and reconnect with their childhoods. 

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She said: “It may be a bittersweet feeling. 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.”

And that isn’t the only bit of good news for all you premature Christmas lovers out there – later this month, a free TV channel dedicated entirely to Christmas films will be launching later this month. Yep, that’s non-stop festive films and baubles in September.

Merry Christmas!