Why I Love Decorating for Christmas Early
Is it ever too early to celebrate the joy and warmth of Christmas? For me, the magic starts as soon as the decorations hit the shelves in September.
When they start putting Christmas stuff out, I make it a point to buy at least one or two items for the year, whether it’s a new addition or a replacement for something that had to be discarded the year before. It’s my way of saying, “Thank you.”
Why We Start Decorating for Christmas Early
Before moving to Florida, I grew up in Nebraska, where it’s not unheard of to have a snow storm before Halloween. And believe it or not, I’m not too fond of the cold.
For years, I’d start decorating the house (both interior and exterior) with Christmas decorations before October 31st. Why? First, did I mention I don’t like the cold? Second, stiff cables and cold hands don’t work well together. Putting them up while it’s still warm out avoids both issues.
Even though we don’t celebrate Halloween, I’d still wait until after Halloween before turning on the outside lights. And I did that for years.
Things have changed since moving to Florida. Hurricanes and late-season grass growth make November a better time for outdoor decorations. But that doesn’t stop us from decorating the inside.
Since we don’t celebrate Halloween, we decided to put up our Christmas tree each year on October 31st. And the rest of the decorations shortly thereafter.
While the timing of outdoor decorating has changed due to Florida’s unique weather, one tradition that remains unchanged is the joy of transforming our home’s interior into a Christmas wonderland.
Some might argue, “Why don’t you just leave them up year-round?” I tried that one year back in Nebraska. I left the lights on the gutter up to see how they’d hold up. With the extreme weather changes, by summer the plastic holders that held them up began to break, and the strands of light fell. It was an unsightly display.
Of course, there is a permanent solution available for those willing to fork out the dough. I prefer to put them up each year. Call it a labor of love.
Making it a Family Bonding Experience
Holidays and anniversaries are guaranteed to occur every year. Why not make it a family activity?
When putting up the tree, we’re intentional to make it a family event. Before deciding to do it on October 31st, we’d still make sure all of us participated in decorating the Christmas tree.
Although we have multiple trees throughout the house, we only have one “official” tree. The one that we put the presents under and gather around on Christmas Day.
In the past, I’d put the imitation tree together and put the lights on it. However, we’d still put the garland and ornaments on as a family. Now that the kids are older, they help with everything.
Not only do I want them to be involved, but I want to teach them when they have their own home and trees to decorate.
When it comes to decorating the exterior, we talk about where everything should go. And then, we work as a team to put it together.
Back in Nebraska, our house gutters were closer to the ground. I could reach them with a simple 6-foot step ladder. However, the gutters in this house would require a 20-foot extension ladder. Because of this, we’ve had to change what we decorate. We can still bring just as much joy while remaining closer to the ground.
Do you turn decorating into a fun family bonding experience? If not, perhaps this is the year to start.
Spreading Joy Throughout the Neighborhood
Christmas decorating doesn’t seem as prevalent in Florida. Where we live, you could go several blocks without seeing a single exterior Christmas decoration. And when they are seen, it’s usually only one or two per city block.
On the flip side, in Nebraska, entire neighborhoods would seemingly compete for the biggest and best decorations. And we were far from alone in early decorating.
Even though we now live in a cul-de-sac and the only house that decorates more than a single strand of lights, we still decorate as if we’re participating in some friendly competition.
Why? Because it brings us joy. And our neighbors often tell us how much they enjoy our display. We want to bring some joy to those around us. Not to mention illumination to our otherwise dark street.
The Bible tells us in Romans 2:19 to be “a light to those in darkness” and Matthew 5:14 describes us as “the light of the world.”
Just as Jesus calls us to be a light in the world, our decorations remind us of His presence and hope. It’s a way of physically expressing the joy we feel in Christ. What better way to illuminate the darkness than to spread joy with pretty lights?
The Science Behind Christmas Happiness
Did you know studies have found people who decorate for Christmas early are happier?
Not only for nostalgic reasons either. According to the Journal of Environmental Psychology, it’s also an indicator of your friendliness.
“We examine whether strangers (naive raters) can accurately identify the more friendly residents, and what aspects of the homes’ exteriors contribute to their impressions.” “As expected, a main effect for the decorated factor indicated that raters used Christmas decorations as a cue that the residents were friendly and cohesive.”
The study also examined “the possibility that residents who decorate for Christmas but who have few friends on the block may be using the decorations and other cues as a way of communicating their accessibility to neighbors.”
The referenced study also accurately determined the opposite. “In the absence of Christmas decorations, raters accurately distinguished between the homes of sociable and nonsociable residents; in open-ended comments, they attributed their impressions to the relatively more ‘open’ and ‘lived in’ look of the sociable residents’ homes.”
Whether it’s for nostalgic reasons, trying to communicate friendliness to your neighbors, or for the mere love of it, people who decorate early for Christmas are happier.
So, why not start early this year? Besides, there’s no law stating you must wait until after Thanksgiving to start.
Decorating for Newbies
If you’ve decided to decorate but don’t know where to start, here are a few suggestions.
Start Small
If you’re new to decorating, lights are a great place to begin. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It can seem a bit overwhelming at first. Do I want min-lights or the large C9s? Should they blink, stay steady, or fade in and out? Are there certain colors that don’t work well together? And we haven’t even touched on the projectors, inflatables, blow molds, garland, icicles, trees, and pretty much anything else you could imagine.
Growing up, my parents had one strand of lights on the front gutter. It was strung from one side of the house to the other. And that was it.
If that’s all you can do this year, then start there. Next year, consider adding more. If you have a gutter, consider stringing a strand of C7/C9 colored lights with some white icicle lights over them. It will give your house an almost gingerbread house look. This is what we did to our house in Nebraska toward the beginning.
Growing Your Display
Once you’ve got your base, then it’s time to start growing it. Consider choosing one or two outdoor pieces to test the waters. It could be a projector, inflatable, lighted animals (e.g., reindeer, bears, etc.) more lights, blow molds, etc.
At first, I bought some of the animated deer made of metal. They have lights all over them. Their head moves side to side on some. Being from Nebraska, I’d put some white net lights on the ground. That way, when it snowed the lights would light it up. Cool.
I typically buy my higher ticket items during the after-Christmas sales on December 26th. A few years back, I purchased a lit 10-foot-tall arch with inflatable nutcrackers on either side after Christmas. Saved 50% in the process. Now, it’s part of our annual display.
Then again, I purchased an 8-foot-tall lit snowman at the Goodwill one year. It lasted at least two years before it stopped working. I felt I got my money’s worth out of it.
At another Goodwill, I bought a 3-foot giant wreath. I put lights on it, a “Merry Christmas” sign, and we still use it today.
Whether your home is small or large, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have it nicely decorated. And you don’t have to purchase all the decorations at once.
Remembering the Reason for the Season
As fun as decorating for Christmas is, we mustn’t lose sight of the reason for it in the first place.
Our centerpiece tree sparkles with twinkling lights, strung garland, an angel with lights at the top, ornaments from our various vacations, and several reminders that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
What about you? When do you start decorating for Christmas? Whether you wait until December or join me in September, let’s celebrate the joy, hope, and reason of the season together! And don’t forget to share your before and after pictures with us.
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