Is It Messed Up To Already Be Decorating For Christmas?

Is it messed up that I started putting up my Christmas tree last night?!? I just couldn’t help myself…it’s crazy cold outside and it started snowing which made it feel like Christmas…and Christmas happens to be my very favorite holiday of all time…so yeah…I got excited and BAM…the decorations came out….so like it or not, this girl is starting to decorate for Christmas already and its AWESOME!

I mean really…what can it hurt to bring the Christmas spirit in a little early this year? It’s the only thing that makes the cold weather seem a little less depressing – and it is FREEZING COLD outside in Utah! Plus I love walking into my house and seeing the twinkling tree lights on and smelling that mix of cinnamon pine cones and pine tree floating in the air. It just makes me feel happy 🙂

But guess what?! I am apparently not the only person decorating early makes happy! Studies have shown that people who decorate for Christmas early are actually happier!!! According to Psychologist Deborah Serani, the reason why is that decorating for Christmas creates a neurological shift that spikes dopamine, the feel-good hormone that makes us happier, because we associate feelings of Christmas with happy memories from childhood and voila…we get a beautiful flood of nostalgia. And we feel HAPPIER!

I realize that Halloween is in a few days and I should be celebrating that holiday first, but ever since my kids grew up and left home I have to admit that Halloween doesn’t quite have the same thrill that it used to for me… Does that make me officially old now? Yes…yes it probably does…. Am I excited to get to see my adorable grandbabies in their little costumes going trick-or-treating on Halloween? Absolutely. But am I even more excited about getting to see them open presents on Christmas morning? YOU BETCHA!!!

So HO HO HO, this is me wishing all of you a little bit of early Christmas cheer today – Enjoy!

~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )

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