When do you put your Christmas decorations up?
Are you someone who believes Christmas is strictly a 12 day thing? With decorations brought out and tidied away in the time it takes others to untangle their fairy lights.
Or do your decorations make an appearance from early December – coinciding with advent calendars, festive nights out and Christmas jumpers.
Or does Christmas begin in your house as soon as Bonfire Night is out the way – with giant iilluminated reindeer and Santas lighting up the lounge from November 6 onwards?
Well, for those who hold off switching on those festive lights until the last week of December, you might want to consider putting your tree and tinsel up soon – as it seems those who put up their festive displays earlier are much happier and excited about life, according to The Mirror .
Psychoanalyst Steve 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 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!”
And although not everyone’s all for monumental festive displays outside – the ones that you can pretty much see from space – people tend to view occupants of such houses with affection.
McKeown says owners of outrageously seasonal homes are usually viewed as “friendly and cohesive”. They’re more welcoming, basically. And that’s a positive thing.
Essentially, Christmas decorations spark feelings of warmth and nostalgia. When we see them, we’re reminded of our childhoods, when responsibilities were few and fun high on the agenda.
Lives are stressful, and they’re improved with good memories, many of which are formed at Christmas.
“It may be a bittersweet feeling,” McKeown adds.
“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.”
So, yes. May as well put up those decorations in November.
*Gets the boxes down from the loft*