My tree went up at the beginning of November and I have zero regrets. As the Halloween decorations came down it just made sense to start putting up the Christmas decorations.

I know some say the date to start embracing Christmas is December 1, and that if you start too early, you risk getting sick of the festive season before December 25. But to be honest, as I increasingly set up the tree earlier, I am yet to find that to be the case.

I started breaching the December 1 set-up date during COVID. With closed borders and the threat of lockdowns putting a dampener on life in general, I thought a little early Christmas cheer wouldn't go astray. It turned out, I was right. So when I looked ahead to my schedule for this month to find the only two weekends I had free for Christmas decorating were November 5-6 and December 3-4, it seemed like a no-brainer.

I should note, I do come from a multiple Christmas tree family. My parents' house looks like the inside of a Christmas store, come December 1. Every room has its allocated decorations, with the main Christmas tree at home in the main lounge room, while other smaller ones are dotted around the other communal areas. So going all out is normal for me. Plus, there were always strong rules about decoration expectations.

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The colour scheme is a strict red, gold and green - it has to be traditional, my mum says. You should have heard the disapproval in her voice the year she found out I had pink poinsettias on my tree (Heaven forbid she finds out I considered getting a pink tree for a hot minute).

But pink tree or not, Christmas decorations boost my mood. And apparently, I'm not alone.

Studies have shown having Christmas decorations up can increase dopamine, with people who put up the tree earlier found to be happier. Effectively we take cues from our surroundings and when those cues evoke a nostalgic feeling, or happy memories of Christmases past is a good antidote to the stresses of everyday life.

I know I will continue to Christmas-ify my apartment until a week before Christmas. It's an ongoing process that doesn't stop with the tree. But that's something I enjoy. I like to create spaces and any excuse to decorate or design something I jump at. But I get some people see putting up the Christmas tree as a chore, and I would argue they're probably not happier people for it.

But it's just me (and my dog) in my apartment. I don't need to worry about kids constantly asking how many days until Christmas, or whether I'm watching too many Christmas movies with the same cliche plotline. And as long as the rearranged furniture still leaves somewhere for my dog to soak up those afternoon sunbeams, he doesn't care if there's a tree in prime living room position.

My point is, do what works for you. And if someone is doing something different to your Christmas decorating plans, maybe don't start a debate about whether it's too early or not.

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