According to psychologists, festively decorated houses make a person appear friendly, content, and happy. Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown suggests that this could be because the enthusiasm for Christmas awakens our inner child.
While some people are grumpy when they see flashing lights, decorated Christmas trees, and Christmas-themed advertisements in November, there is a scientific reason why it’s good to look forward to and experience the excitement of the upcoming Christmas a few weeks earlier than others.
According to evidence from the Journal of Environmental Psychology, spreading the festive mood in November makes a person seem more sociable, friendlier, and more approachable to others. A study was conducted in which participants were shown various types of houses of different sizes, with and without Christmas decorations, representing a spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds.
Participants noted that festively decorated houses made their owners appear friendly and happy, proving that Christmas decorations contribute to people appearing open, sociable, and kind. One reason for this may be that most of us associate the holiday season with childhood. Christmas cookies, lights, and ornaments evoke nostalgia and take us back in memories to the time when we spent Christmas with family and friends. This nostalgic reaction for many of us triggers excitement about the upcoming Christmas, just like in childhood.
Steve McKeown, a psychoanalyst and founder of MindFixers, told UNILAD: “Christmas decorations are simply a connection or a path to those old childhood magical emotions of excitement. So, putting up these Christmas decorations early extends this excitement!” He further adds that people who decorate their house or apartment early simply want to relive the magic of previous holiday seasons. However, McKeown also mentioned that putting up Christmas decorations and lighting up strings of lights in November could be a sign that a person is trying to overcompensate for a previously unsatisfactory holiday season. “In a world full of stress and anxiety, people like to do things that make them happy, and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings from childhood,” he said.
This could stem from the loss of a loved one or difficult life circumstances, from which a person tries to escape mentally through this path.