According to an expert, if you put your Christmas decorations up earlier, you might be happier than the average person!
Everyone has their idea of what the best time of year is, but it's presumed that Christmas will sit on top of many people's lists.
Given that it is such an exciting time, it's easy to understand why so many people can't wait to cover their house from top to bottom in lavish decorations.
Shops capitalize on this and start displaying Christmas goods long before the day arrives - but if you've ever moaned about this, you might be shocked to know that those who begin celebrating earlier might be happier in life.
Psychologist Deborah Serani confirmed to Today that filling your house with Christmas cheer long before the big day can often lift spirits.
"It does create that neurological shift that can produce happiness," she said. "I think anything that takes us out of our normal habituation, the normal day in, day out ... signals our senses, and then our senses measure if it's pleasing or not. Christmas decorating will spike dopamine, a feel-good hormone."
But how does it all work?
According to Serani, bright lights and colors have a positive impact on our well-being, especially during a time of year when it's pretty dark.
On top of that, generally looking forward to something and having a house full of festive cheer isn't exactly going to dampen spirits.
"For a lot of us, Christmas is a magical time, it’s a time of innocence, it’s a time of joy," Serani went on.
She noted that for many people, Christmas will be a time of year filled with many positive memories from childhood and the wave of nostalgia can be powerful.
On the flip side, however, if Christmas was particularly traumatic in the past, then sticking up decorations early could also bring up bad memories and have a negative impact.
Psychologist and happiness expert Elizabeth Lombardo weighed in on the latter, saying that if Christmas brings bad feelings then it might be time to start a new tradition.
"Whether it's going away, seeing a movie as a family, volunteering. It creates a new association," she said.
Hopefully, the next time Christmas rolls around, you'll be able to attribute it to more positive experiences.
Christmas decorations also give people the impression that you're more sociable, according to research, and having a house full of family and friends usually brings a lot of good memories.
So before you start shaking your head at people who have Santa on their house before Halloween is over - just consider that they're probably loving their life!
