Lifestyle

Putting up your Christmas tree bizarrely early makes you happier

By Livia ter Borgh | #!30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:003430#30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:00-5Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202530 06am30am-30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:005Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam2025302025Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +01004554511amThursday=9#!30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:00Europe/Amsterdam11#11-06-2025#!30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:003430#/30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:00-5Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202530#!30Thu, 06 Nov 2025 05:45:34 +0100+01:00Europe/Amsterdam11#

Are we that flutzomer forgotten again? Nice. Taking down your Christmas decorations in October? Not crazy at all. In fact: psychologists recommend it.

Woman in a red Christmas sweater smiling in front of a lit Christmas tree, with a warm drink in her hands.

Wonderful world

Because those who have already made their home Christmas ready early would be happier. Isn't that a sweet Christmas thought? You can never start too early with that red-green glitter stuff. Hang up your garlands, set up those little Christmas trees with lights, and hang that beautiful wreath on your front door, because those who tackle it in good time associate every day with the cozy Christmas celebration. Do you see the reindeer stuck to your window in the morning while you have to trudge outside? Your brain then associates the ordinary day in October with ’being free‘, with ’being together‘, and with ’enjoying food and drink‘. And so your body automatically produces happy endorphins.

Nostalgia

‘It causes a neurological change in your brain that makes you happy,’ explains psychologist Deborah Serani. ‘Everything that takes you out of your normal routine stimulates your senses.’ On gloomy autumn days when everything is just in a boring rut, those extra lights outside can provide a dopamine boost. According to psychoanalyst Steve McKeown, nostalgia plays an important role in the feeling of happiness we experience when decorating the Christmas tree. ‘We live in a stressful world and therefore like to seek out small joys,’ he tells the British news site Unilad. ‘Christmas decorations always made us very happy as children and even now it still evokes strong feelings and cheerful memories from our childhood,’ says Steve. ‘Christmas decoration thus forms a kind of anchor and makes us long for those beautiful moments again. Putting up Christmas decorations early increases the excitement, making us happier.’

Well, you can't start early enough with brightening up your home a bit with lights and glitter. As soon as the stalls open and they start selling enthusiastic fir trees again, I'll be at the front. I'm really looking forward to it, even now. Sorry not sorry.

Source: AD