As soon as Halloween was over, my social media feeds were filled with influencers getting ready for Christmas. Everyone was joking that Mariah Carey was thawing out.
Everywhere I look there are ads for holiday gifts, and charities looking for donations. Some may say this is way too early; others have their trees up already.
Every year it seems there is a debate about when it is appropriate to start getting ready for Dec. 25. A lot of people are excited and think Nov. 1 is the perfect time to start decking the halls, while some want to wait until after Remembrance Day to honour the veterans, and others hold off until December.
A study found that people who put up their decorations earlier tend to be happier and friendlier. According to several psychologists, Christmas decorating spikes dopamine, the feel-good hormone. They also said that the colours and lights act as chromotherapy, also known as colour therapy, which is based on the idea that colour and coloured lights can enhance physical or mental health. According to this idea, they cause subtle changes in our moods and biology.
I say, do whatever makes you happy, and don’t be offended by what your neighbours choose to do.
It gets dark fast now, and some extra light is nice. I try to hold off on putting my tree up until December, but some lights hanging outside look nice when you have to come home from work in the dark. We love driving around and seeing everyone’s Christmas lights, which brings some joy to what can be a gloomy and dreary time.
This is the beginning of the time of the year when Seasonal Affective Disorder starts hitting people. The darkness around these months can take away your energy and make you feel moody.
Light has been shown to help, so if putting up your holiday decorations or even a few strings of Christmas lights helps to stave off the winter blues, I’m all for it.
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