Psychological benefits of decorating early for the holidays

Thanksgiving is over and you may be wondering when you should start decorating, or maybe you already have your Christmas tree up.

SEE RELATED STORY: Christmas before Thanksgiving? Why holiday fever started early in 2020

Experts at UT Health said decorating early can be good for your mental health.

They said there are benefits to decorating early this year, a year where people had to make several changes to their daily lives due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Doctors said decorating early can add to a sense of healing. First, it can help reclaim some of your identity that has been lost during the pandemic through lack of person interactions. It is believed to help trigger good memories that can be therapeutic, counteract grief and help break up the monotony of the days if you have been working from home.

If decorating for the holidays is not a normal tradition for your family, experts said it's not too late to start new traditions.

SEE RELATED: Drive-thru light shows provide safe holiday traditions around Houston

Here are some new traditions your family can adopt this year:

• Watching holiday lights in the neighborhood

• Writing letters of gratitude

• Making a recipe that was a favorite of a loved one who has passed

• Nightly holiday story reading

• A virtual scavenger hunt via Zoom

SEE RELATED STORY: Holiday lights brighten up Houston's Uptown area

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