Christmas Decorations: It’s Never Too Early for Joy

You know, people love to argue about the “right time” to put up Christmas decorations. Some say you have to wait until after Thanksgiving. Some say December 1st. And then… there’s me. I say the minute you feel joy in your heart, plug in that tree and let it shine.

I went out of town for the weekend to hit up a music festival, right? Sun, fun, loud music, basically perfection. But when I came back home, I opened the door and there it was... A Winter wonderland. Like Santa broke in, redecorated, and left without saying hi. The tree was glowing, the stockings were up, and over in the corner was my favorite attraction...

Snowman Mountain is where all my Hallmark snowmen live, one for every year my mom sends me. It’s basically the cutest avalanche waiting to happen. And right next to it, making its grand return was my Haunted Mansion Holiday wall. Yes, I decorate for both Christmas and spooky season at the same time. We need this in Florida. I'm looking at you Disney World...

Now look, I know what month it is. It’s November. Not even Thanksgiving yet. Turkeys are still walking around nervously. Pilgrims are waiting for their annual shout-out. But the second I stepped into my Christmas-covered house, I felt pure happiness. You can’t argue with joy!

And yes, I fully accept that my friends judge me. They walk in like, “DUDE. Why do you already have a tree up?” Meanwhile, every store in America has been in full Christmas mode since October 12th. Target doesn’t wait. Walmart doesn’t wait. Why should I?

And here’s the truth: Christmas decorations aren’t just decorations. They’re memories. Like the fake wax Christmas cookie ornament I bit into when I was seven because I thought it was real. (Sorry, Mom.) Or the Hallmark snowman from 2015 with skis… The same year I broke my finger trying to skateboard. Coincidence? Probably not.

Now I get to point at all these decorations with my daughter, Kara, and tell her the stories behind every single one. That’s priceless. That’s the good stuff.

So if your decorations are still chilling in a garage somewhere behind the leaf blower you swear you’re going to use someday… go get them. Make a day of it. Put on some Christmas music. Hang the lights. Build your own Snowman Mountain. Because it’s never too early for Christmas.
And it’s definitely never too early for joy.