During the holiday season, a lot of questions pop up.
Are you going to travel to see family and friends? Will you host any events at your home? What gifts should you buy your loved ones? Is there a specific dish you should bring to a dinner party?
These questions are all common during the holidays. However, there isn't a question more popular than the one that constantly attracts different answers: when should you decorate for Christmas?
While everyone tends to agree on most things regarding this holiday, like the importance of spending time with family and friends and giving personalized gifts to loved ones, establishing the right time to decorate for Christmas continues to be a hotly-debated issue. And if you're someone who likes to stick to rules and orderly processes, it might be unsettling not to know when to decorate for Christmas. But the good news is that you don't need to stress about this anymore.
A couple of experts have shed light on when you should start outfitting your home with Christmas cheer. And honestly, the answers put the power in your hands.
Understanding when to decorate for Christmas
Once upon a time, you only saw people decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving, and today, it's still possible to find people who stick to this tradition. There are many homes with amazing fall decorations that still manage to stay outside of Christmas territory.
Usually, the owners of these homes don't fully embrace Christmas decorations until the last day of November or the first few days of December. That's when they start to put up Christmas lights, wreaths, and blow-up Santas on their front lawns.
For example, consider Martha Stewart. There have been years where she waited until the first week of December to decorate for Christmas. And she has also waited to put up family stockings until less than a week before Christmas Day.
However, in modern times, waiting to decorate until after Thanksgiving is a rule-of-thumb that no longer applies to the masses. All you have to do is look at Starbucks. The coffee chain started offering its holiday cups and flavors on November 4, 2021, and they all have Christmas undertones.
These days, people seem to get excited for Christmas earlier and earlier, and that joy is also evident in the research that popular online marketplaces report. In 2019, Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy's trend expert, found that customers started shopping for ornaments, garlands, and tinsels in August. Additionally, in September of that same year, Etsy experienced a 359 percent increase in holiday decor shopping.
If decorating for Christmas that early sounds fun to you, there's good news. Etsy's trend expert doesn't think you should pause your joy or slow down on decorating. Because Christmas is such a special time for many people, it's normal to get excited about this holiday and start preparing for it early.
So if you want to decorate your home for Christmas before Thanksgiving, do it. However, if you'd prefer to wait, that's okay, too. Both options are available and acceptable, and they both lead to great benefits.
The benefits of Christmas decorating
Regardless of when you decide to decorate, you will experience happiness. In fact, research suggests that when you decorate for Christmas, it creates a neurological shift that induces joy.
Specifically, taking time to put up Christmas decorations spikes your levels of dopamine, which is a hormone that makes you feel good. And this spike happens for a few reasons.
First, it's essential to consider the role of color therapy. Christmas is associated with bright colors and lights, and both of those have the power to increase happiness and boost energy levels.
Additionally, a good environment can have a positive impact on your mood. With Christmas, the ambiance tends to be joyful and cozy, making it easier to get excited and happy.
But you can't forget the nostalgia factor either. If you have a lot of great memories of Christmas, decorating for this holiday can easily put a smile on your face. Nostalgia may even be a reason why you decorate sooner rather than later because you want to recreate the positive feelings you've had in the past.
If you want to experience the benefits of decorating for Christmas—regardless of when you decide to do it—you need something important to get started: decorations.
You may already have these in the back of a closet or a storage room in the basement. But it never hurts to get a few new Christmas decorations to add to your collection, and Khutsala Artisans has plenty for you to choose from.
Even better, Khutsala Artisans sells beautiful handmade entertainment pieces to help you host events and small gatherings. So if you need those items as well as Christmas decor, you can get them at a one-stop shop.
For specific ideas on what to buy, here are five items from Khutsala Artisans that can bring holiday cheer to your home.
Handcrafted by artisans in Eswatini, Africa, the Beaded Christmas Tree (Snowy) is the perfect centerpiece for the holidays. The decoration takes over 10 hours to complete and requires thousands of beads and immense attention to detail. But the hard work leads to a beautiful beaded Christmas tree that symbolizes the "tree of life."
This item comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. And it's also available in green and multicolored.
Get the Beaded Christmas Tree (Snowy) HERE.
There's nothing like a great table setting for a good Christmas dinner. However, every beautiful table setting not only needs napkins but napkin rings. At Khutsala Artisans, you can get the timeless, unique Napkin Ring Set of 4 to provide an extra decorative element to your napkins.
There are four rings in each set: a star, poinsettia, red ball, and angel. All of the rings include Christmas-colored beads, making them a great match with your tree ornaments.
Purchase the Napkin Ring Set of 4 HERE.
If you need a Nativity Scene, Khutsala Artisans has you covered. This item is a 14-piece set that includes Jesus, Mary, Joseph, an angel, a shepherd, three wise men, a star, a cow, a lamb, a donkey, and a special manger.
This handmade Nativity Scene contains more than 10,000 beads, and the faces for each person include Khutsala Artisans' hand-rolled SwaziMUD beads. Overall, this Christmas item takes days to make, but the end product is the perfect piece for a fireplace mantel, shelf, or table.
Buy the Nativity Scene HERE.
A tasty and aesthetically pleasing charcuterie board is always a party favorite. That's why, if you plan to do any hosting for the holidays, get Khutsala Artisans' Charcuterie Boards.
They come in large and medium sizes, and each board is made out of the bloodwood trees in Eswatini. These trees get their name from the dark red colored sap that oozes out whenever you cut them. The color is so remarkable that it looks like the tree is bleeding, and while that may sound creepy, it's beautiful to see in person.
But in case you don't get a chance to see a bloodwood tree, Khutsala Artisans has captured some of its beauty in the Charcuterie Boards. As a result, you're sure to love the unique, one-of-a-kind look that these boards present.
Shop the Charcuterie Boards HERE.
The Wood Charcuterie Accessory Set pairs perfectly with Khutsala Artisans' Charcuterie Boards. It comes with richly grained olive wood utensils and dishes, including a decorative spreader, fork, larger spoon, and bowl.
The utensils have white and black bone accents that are inspired by African decor. And the bowl is deep enough to use for any dips, nuts, or seeds. Additionally, every item in this set is made from bloodwood trees, so you'll get to experience the same unique look as you do with Khutsala Artisans' Charcuterie Boards.
Buy the Wood Charcuterie Accessory Set HERE.
Spread the joy by purchasing Christmas decorations
Decorating your home for Christmas is a great experience for you and your loved ones. But if you want to spread that joy to others, shop at Khutsala Artisans.
All the profits from your purchase go to Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian organization that's tackling hunger, an orphan crisis, poverty, and poor education in Eswatini. Additionally, your purchase helps Khutsala Artisans provide and increase employment in Eswatini, which is a significant need in the country.
So don't just experience Christmas joy this year. Help spread it by shopping for decorations at Khutsala Artisans and supporting those in need.
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