Positivity Corner: Decorate Early for Christmas

Decorating early for Christmas was a big no-no when I was a kid. Nope. I had to wait until the calendar ticked over to my oldest brother’s birthday on December 11 before the tree could go up and wreaths could be hung. I always felt kind of cheated on that, so I started to decorate early for Christmas in my room when I became a teenager.

My grandmother gave me her old Christmas tree, which helped, as did acquiring family ornaments from my Mom when she decided she no longer cared for them. My tree wasn’t quite a Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, but it was awfully close. That didn’t matter – it made me happy.

Now, as an adult who happened to marry a man equally Christmas-bonkers as myself, I decorate early for Christmas, not when it’s “normal.” I put up the Christmas decor on Halloween.

You read that right: October.

Some may scoff – my Dad certainly would have! – but I delight in this.

Having Christmas lights and Christmas trees up around the living room and my office brings a little bit of joy to my world, especially in challenging times like we’ve been experiencing the last several years.

On Halloween, I get out all the decoration-stuffed boxes and start going nuts with the Christmas decor. More spots around the home get decked out with Christmas lights. Christmas knickknacks go onto shelves. Stockings get hung. Resin snowmen find a home on bathroom counters.

It might seem silly to some but decking out the whole house with holiday cheer helps to brighten my spirits. And, yes, we keep the decor up all winter long, usually until the dust is thick enough to draw a sneeze.

For anyone else who experiences seasonal affect disorder (diagnosed or otherwise), you might want to try this out, too. I’m telling you – if you decorate early for Christmas, it can truly, wonderfully lift the mood and help to soften the blow of wintry months and dull, gray skies.

So, pull out that garland, those Christmas lights, and that tinsel, and get to it! You might just find life is a little bit better.

Looking for more? Check out these encouraging offerings from MockingOwl Roost contributors and staff.

• Christmas Waltz – Poetry
• My Favorite Things: Gingerbreading
• My Favorite Things: Peppermint Mocha Coffee
• Gingerbread House for a Mouse – Poetry
• Man in the Shadows – Christmas Eve fiction
• Christmas Traditions

Rita Mock-Pike

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Editor-in-Chief of The MockingOwl Roost, Rita Mock-Pike is the granddaughter of aviatrix, Jerrie Mock, first woman to pilot an airplane solo around the world. Rita has found inspiration from her grandmother’s life and flight and pursued many of her own dreams in theatre, podcasting, novel writing, and cooking up delicious food from around the world. She now writes on food, travel, pets, faith, and the arts. She’s happily married to Matt, and faithfully serves the very fluffy kitten queen, Lady Stardust.

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