When you choose to deck the halls says a lot about you, according to experts.
Christmas Day is more than a month away, but people, including celebrities, are already starting to get into the holiday spirit.
Decorating early is for a specific kind of person, whether you just reached for the tinsel and lights or put the full tree up.
Psychologist Carmen Harra told the Daily Mail that putting up your decorations early can reveal “concealed emotions and subconscious behavioral tendencies” — including narcissism.
“Narcissists derive a sense of high satisfaction from being the center of attention, from being praised and applauded,” Harra explained. “It makes sense, then, that these character traits can easily be fulfilled by turning one’s house into a winter wonderland for the entire neighborhood to admire.”
She said that on top of giving some a chance “to show off,” it also may give people the opportunity to portray a “picture-perfect family.”
“Fights and rifts are common in all clans, but some people feel the need to cover up the truth of what goes on inside their households with lights and tinsel in November,” Harra said.
She added that decorating early might be a mechanism for some people to “fill a void” to feel happiness when they otherwise wouldn’t.
Harra previously noted that those who hang decorations before November might have trouble “living in the moment” — but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“If you’re one of the few people who has had their lights in place since October, then you like to be the first to do things,” Harra previously told the Daily Mail. “You enjoy planning and executing well ahead of schedule. You also correctly anticipate the holiday rush and wish to avoid it.”
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist, shared with the outlet that decorating early can also stir up positive emotions, such as nostalgia, so sentimental people might like to decorate sooner rather than later.
“For many people, Christmas was a magical time during childhood that is filled with happy memories,” Morin said. “So it makes sense people often want to decorate early because the sooner they get out those decorations, the sooner they can experience a little bit of that magic again.”
She explained that people may feel that the earlier they decorate, the longer the season lasts, giving them more time to live in the happy memories and seek “a much-needed escape from the stress of day-to-day life.”
“We feel better when we anticipate something good and putting up decorations early can remind people that the holidays are coming up soon,” Morin said.
The “anticipation of joy” theory might also contribute to decorating early, Professor Erlanger A. Turner, clinical psychologist at Pepperdine University, said.
“By decorating early, people can prolong the sense of excitement and happiness associated with the holiday season,” he told the Daily Mail. “As people begin to mentally prepare for enjoyable experiences, such as Christmas decorations and celebrations, anticipation of joy helps to boost their mood and well-being.”
