Ho ho ho: I'm just going to start with Christmas now

Sky warmed me up a bit last week, a few regular songs and then a nice Christmas hit in between. At first I thought: huh? But by the second time I was already swaying along indulgently. This weekend I suddenly bought Christmas cards at HEMA. And I started talking about a tree on Sunday, a real living Christmas tree with roots. I'm ready for Christmas, guys, and now it turns out this is excellent news.

The ladies and gentlemen psychologists among us encourage putting up the Christmas tree early, because: it makes you happy. You can hardly believe it, but that one tree in the house causes a neurological change in our brain that only brings us favorable stimuli. Everything that pulls you out of the daily grind apparently creates excitement in the senses (simple souls that we are). Psychologist Serani even tells Today that hanging up the Christmas lights can provide a dopamine boost. Well, well, so so. For me, those intertwined lights unleash a lot in me, but dopamine was not exactly the first thing I thought of.

It's all about those warm, nostalgic feelings we get from the pine tree in our living room. But the light also significantly improves our mood. Actually, those little lights in the tree are just a very cheap form of light therapy. And what stops you if you don't have little kids who are still very much into the man with the miter? Nothing, except for the needles. I actually hear quite a few concerned people around me, worrying about the needle retention of my tree and whether it will last until January 1st. Good point, googles: how long does a Christmas tree keep its needles? I don't really get a clear answer from the world's largest search engine, so I hereby volunteer as a test subject. If it rains needles at my place in the last week of December, I'll let you know.

Are you driving near the Vecht tomorrow and see someone diligently decorating a tree? That's me. Probably in the best of spirits.

Source: AD