Tag: christmas

November just started and some people are already in full-on Christmas mode. I still have pumpkin rot on my doorstep, can we just give it a minute?

But it seems like holiday decorating has officially broken free from the “after Thanksgiving” rulebook. Stores swap out spooky decor for Santa suits, peppermint everything starts showing up in coffee cups, and Mariah Carey begins her annual reawakening.

But let’s be real: isn’t it a little too soon?

The “Christmas creep” isn’t new, but it sure feels more aggressive every year.

By early November, many stores have already gone full red-and-green, skipping right over Thanksgiving like it’s a footnote between October and December. And if you’ve ever walked into a store on November 1 only to be hit with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at full volume, you know what we’re talking about.

You’ll see it in store aisles: Valentine’s Day candy on shelves before New Year’s confetti has even settled, or Easter eggs hiding behind St. Patrick’s Day beer mugs. Retailers are on a holiday hamster wheel, constantly jumping ahead to the next big thing. But that means some holidays barely get a moment in the spotlight.

Take Thanksgiving, for instance. It’s a major U.S. holiday, but it often feels like it gets buried under the tinsel avalanche.

Once Halloween wraps, it’s straight into Black Friday ads and Christmas prep, with only a brief turkey intermission.

And while Christmas is supposed to be about love, peace, and family, the way it’s packaged by retailers feels more like a race to buy, decorate, and schedule everything right now. It’s no wonder people start feeling holiday fatigue weeks before the actual holiday arrives.

Social media, of course, plays into this too. Memes about Mariah Carey “defrosting” each November have become an annual tradition, and the cultural joke is now its own kind of marketing machine. Some folks are genuinely excited to start decorating and celebrating early—and that’s fine! But for others, the nonstop holiday hype can get old before December even begins.

But science says early decorators are friendlier (and maybe happier)

Here’s a fun fact: a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that homes decorated for Christmas are perceived as more friendly and welcoming. The sight of garlands and glowing lights actually made people rate homeowners as more sociable.

Even Martha Stewart herself leans into a gradual build. In a past issue of Martha Stewart Living, she mapped out her decorating timeline across the month of December, saving the stockings for the final week. So if you’re pacing yourself, you’re in classy company.

Bottom line? You do you.

If putting up your tree in November makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, go for it. And if you’d rather wait until the leftovers are gone, that’s cool too. Either way, there’s no hard-and-fast rule. As long as you didn’t play Jingle Bells during trick-or-treating, then you’re good.