There's a story making the rounds that says people who already have their Christmas lights up are HAPPIER than the rest of us. But it's kind of misleading.
Two experts weighed in, and said that decorating super-early is usually about jamming in as much nostalgia as possible, and reconnecting with your inner child. But that doesn't necessarily mean people who do it are HAPPIER.
It could also be a sign you're clinging to the past, or overcompensating because you were neglected as a child. Plus there's the whole competitive side of it with neighbors.
Another new study asked people HOW they decorate. Here are four quick stats . . .
1. Fake Christmas trees are now more popular than real ones. 54% prefer the artificial kind. Older people are more likely to prefer fake trees than young people are. (There's also a weird new trend where you decorate a LADDER instead of a tree.)
2. 82% of men claim they handle most of the outside decorations for Christmas. 79% of women say they do most of the decorating inside.
3. 63% of people said the hardest part about decorating is taking everything down after the holidays. 34% said the hardest part is finding the TIME to decorate.
4. The three things we like MOST about decorating are getting into the Christmas spirit . . . being creative . . . and the tradition of it. 3% of people in the survey were total grinches, and said they don't find ANY of it fun. (Unilad / ChristmasLightsEtc.com)
Photo courtesy of christmastreeassociation.org