The Surprising Reason You Should Set Up Your Holiday Decorations Early

Anyone who knows me understands that I love the holidays. It’s not uncommon to find me watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” in June or stringing twinkle lights in October. As many eye rolls as I may receive from friends and family, I don’t care. Putting up holiday decorations early makes me happy. And, it seems that science is on my side.

What the experts say.

In an interview with UNILAD, psychological experts agree that putting up holiday decorations can evoke a sense of nostalgia and childlike excitement. For a lot of people, holiday memories are some of their fondest, so it makes sense that they want to elongate the season. For others, holiday decorations help them reconnect with lost loved ones and to reminisce on the times when they were alive.

And, there are people (like me!) who love the spirit of the season so much that they can’t wait to put up their decorations—even if it’s months before the big day.

What about the other holidays?

While Christmas may be the most common culprit of premature decorating, this logic applies to nearly any holiday. Maybe you start planning your Halloween costume in May or buying Fourth of July flags in February. Whatever the holiday, what matters most is how celebrating earlier than average makes you feel. (If you’re gearing up for Christmas, Check out these stunning nativity sets to celebrate the season and these Homegoods Christmas decor finds.)

Are there any other benefits?

If increased happiness isn’t enough to send you sprinting for the faux pumpkins while the AC is still blasting, there are other benefits, too. When you get a head start on the holidays, you make the lead-up less stressful.

Completing time-consuming tasks—such as buying gifts, making Christmas potpourri, creating costumes or baking cookies—in the off-season gives you more time to enjoy the actual holiday. Plus, you’ll be able to avoid over-crowded malls, picked over grocery store shelves and last-minute price surges.

Now, who wants to help me carve jack-o’-lanterns and create DIY clothes hanger Christmas stars? Or listen to the legend of the Christmas spider?