I’ve always loved Autumn. And truly, I have the Instagram account, blog posts, and Pinterest to back it up. I was a Fall girly back in 2016… before it was more trendy. (That’s the millennial in me.) I ran an Autumn Tumblr with almost 2 million followers (I deeply regret deleting it). I was a Fall Girl, 100%. But I have to confess something: the Autumnal frenzy has started to fatigue me.
The Instagram reels, the “orange alerts”, the Halloween hunting… it feels so much more artificial. I feel this way about everything a bit sometimes; everything has become a performance, so nothing feels natural or authentic anymore. Back in the Tumblr days, it was about finding the good sweaters, putting together a good playlist. My most viral photo on that Fall Tumblr was a picture of Starbuck’s 2016 ground coffee packaging… with my garbage can visible in the background. The true Fall girlies weren’t looking to be aesthetic; we were in it for the love of the game (Fall).
My devotion has turned to Christmas. I look forward to it all year. The lights, the coziness, the movies. I sell cookie boxes every year. Spend hours fretting over my yearly Christmas card. I’ve always loved Christmas, but the last few years, I’ve felt the urge to start Christmas earlier. Because I’m tired. Because I want a little joy. Because I can.
This year, I added a new tradition: a tree in my office. King of Christmas kindly offered to send me a second tree and how could I refuse? I chose the 7.5-foot Frasier Pine, unlit. It’s a beautiful tree: nice and tall, fluffy and fully. My kids helped me pick out lights and decorate it in a white and gold theme. It’s in the background of all my Zoom calls. It lights up my office when I work in the mornings. I get to field questions like “is that a Christmas tree behind you?!” multiple times a day. And you know what? It feels so fun to be that girl with the Christmas tree up in October.
So without further ado, here are 6 reasons you should consider putting up your Christmas tree just a smidge early.
1. The Ambient Lighting is 10/10
I start my work mornings very early — think 6-7am, once my kids are safely off to school. And sometimes, the big light doesn’t feel great when it is still a bit dark outside. But Christmas tree lights? They are the perfect ambiet lighting. Warm and the light fills up a room.
2. Your Kids Will Love It
My kids are obsessed with the tree in my office. They hang out by it, color under it. They helped decorate it. And before you ask, they picked out white corded lights and while I know it’s non-traditional, I kinda love it. They truly have so much fun with it. They got to pick the photos that went into the frames. They got to help decorate and take photos and everything. I love making memories with my kids and they loved being “in” on going against the grain and putting our tree up.
3. It Can Always Be Seasonal
A few years ago, my sister left her Christmas tree up for the entire year. At first, it stayed Christmas-y, but eventually she started replacing the decorations: Valentine’s day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween… Who says a tree can’t be decorated however you want? Who makes the rules? You do, that’s who! And if you want a tree with lights themed to your favorite fandom, your hobby, whatever, that’s allowed.
4. Less Stress During November
I have called November “no school November” for a few years. If you work, you know that: your kids barely go to school in November, work is somehow the busiest you’ll ever be, and there is a massive holiday in the month that requires a lot of labor (cooking, of course). For me, I often don’t have time after mid-November to do anything, so getting my tree up early is a big way to keep our house jolly without adding another thing to my plate in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
5. More Time to Enjoy Your Work
Listen, getting the tree out, put back together, getting the ornaments just right, cleaning the living room where the tree goes… it’s a lot of work! And you should get to admire that work for a while! Not just a few weeks. Plus, is there anything better than hanging out with your family in the light of a Christmas tree, watching a movie, having a snack, drinking something delicious?
6. Because You Want To
It goes without saying: sometimes we all need to do something kinda kooky in order to be happy. In 2020, I put our Christmas tree up October 27: it was a crazy hard year (duh), I was feeling depressed, and I needed our Christmas tree up. And you know what?? It was worth it. We usually try to wait until November 1, but sometimes… you just need a little joy.
Thank you again to King of Christmas for the gorgeous new tree! If you want to grab your own, head to my Shop.my to see my Christmas must haves.