Everyone is always advising you to start your Christmas shopping early, but you rarely hear anyone mention starting your Christmas decorating early. Why is that? People certainly have an opinion about when to start. Usually this opinion is rooted in their own family history and memories of their childhood. But we are all different.

Some say you should start decorating immediately after Halloween. Some say Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after Thanksgiving. Some even wait until the week before Christmas. But when is actually the best time to begin your holiday decorating?

Consider this: there are so many great effects stimulated with Christmas decorations and by preparing your home for the all-too-brief holiday season. Why would anyone want to delay all of those wonderful things? There is certainly a reason, other than a monetary one, why stores hold Christmas in July or Halfway to Christmas sales. It’s because they know we can all hardly wait for Christmas to get here. We have created reasons to contemplate Christmas joy even in the heat of summer. But is summertime too early to start the Christmas season? Maybe not (in fact, we don’t think so).

Below is a list of 5 compelling reasons why decorating for Christmas early makes perfect sense. Have a quick read and then you can decide for yourself whether to move up your decorating dates for the coming season. One thing that 2020 has certainly taught us, we could all use a little happy holiday relief sooner rather than later.

Extra Time to Strategize

There is always a lot to consider when preparing to decorate for Christmas, especially if you put decorations both inside and outside. Where will the Christmas tree go? What will look best on the mantle? Do I have enough twinkling lights for outside? And inside? How many new Christmas ornaments should I purchase this year? Has anyone seen the tree topper? Do I need a tabletop Christmas tree too? Whew! Lots of fun, and certainly lots of planning. Starting earlier in the year allows for extra time to strategize your decorating plan, assuring your holiday home will be at its prime once the season is in full swing.

It Makes You Feel Good

There has been scientific research conducted on how Christmas decorating makes us feel. The results: it makes us feel good. It actually causes a dopamine spike, releasing all of those feel-good emotions in your body. The process on its own is certainly fun and can be very creative. But it’s not all just pretty lights and Christmas wreaths. For many people, there are nostalgic associations with the holiday season, many connected to family and childhood. That means that the act of arranging a Nativity set or turning on a swirling snow globe potentially triggers something much more thoughtful, deeper, and meaningful.

Builds Community

What do the neighbors think when they see your Christmas decorations going up? Maybe they think, “oh, I need to get to it. I’m behind this year.” Or maybe they just smile and wave, knowing you are thoughtfully contributing to the beauty and spirit of the neighborhood. Perhaps they are even prompted to come over and give you a hand with your decorations, hoping you will return the favor. Either way, when you are stringing lights on your house or setting up a wicker reindeer in your yard or a giant inflatable Santa Claus, it communicates openness. It says you are happy to be there for the holidays and you want to share your spirit with the whole neighborhood. It brings people together through a common joy, and that is what the season is truly about.

More Family Bonding Moments

Remember how it feels to open all the boxes of Christmas decorations with the kids and grandkids at the start of the season? Recall the times when you and your spouse crowned the tree together with a sparkling star or beautiful angel? Or when your parents let you hang the final, and most important, Christmas ornament on the tree when you were a young child? These are special moments that only occur during the holidays. That’s because Christmas fosters opportunities for family bonding like no other time of the year. The earlier you begin your decorating, the more time you have for these opportunities to occur. Christmas has been bringing families closer for as long as we can remember. There is no reason to believe that magic will end anytime soon.

Rest and Enjoy

Have you ever thought the Christmas season seems shorter every year? It feels that way, right? Which only makes us long for that jolly feeling even more. Well, the ability to extend the holidays is completely within your control. You don’t have to wait until after Halloween to start your Christmas decorating. You could get those boxes of decorations down from the attic any time you please. Remember, the earlier you start, the longer you will have to sit back with a cup of hot cocoa, warm wassail or cold eggnog, and enjoy the festive fruits of your labor.

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? We hope so. And don’t forget, The Bradford Exchange has plenty of unique and original Christmas decorations for your holiday home. We would love to help you start your decorating whenever you are ready. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!