Christmas Decorations Officially Make You Happier

According to the Journal of Environmental Psychology people who decorate for Christmas earlier are happier. No, I don’t subscribe to this magazine, but Real Simple reported on it and that is good enough for me. I don’t need any PhD to tell me what I already know…Christmas decorations make me happy.

The study hypothesizes that in a world full of stress, Christmas decorations evoke strong feeling of childhood. That assumes you grew up in a house that celebrated Christmas and you had more happy Christmases than unhappy ones. I am more simple than that. My theory is that the shiny and bright over come the gloom of short days. I am not sure if Christmas decorations take on the same affect in the Southern Hemisphere.

Today two friends reported that they have been decorating all week and fully enjoyed have Christmas decorations for thanksgiving. With as much work as decorating for Christmas is why not enjoy it for at least 30 days?

Another friend’s husband has a self imposed rule that no Christmas tree can be put up until December has double digits. At last their youngest child, who is a senior in high school, revolted and said she was not going to suffer this season without the sparkle. For the record the actual tree is not up, but all the other house decorations are done. I’m encouraging a full blown revolt and go on and put that tree up.

You are stuck at home, go on, decorate. You are not going to your decorated office, or should not be speeding much time in a festive mall. Your home is your shiny and bright place. Fly that Santa flag and give yourself a much needed jolt of childhood happiness.

If you don’t celebrate Christmas, string up some lights and call them the winter solstice decorations. You deserve some bright in this darkness too. We all need to be happier.