Editor's note: The following is Patch Field Editor Russ Crespolini's, hopefully, weekly column. It is reflective of his opinion alone.
A year ago I wondered if it was a smart idea to decorate for the holidays before Thanksgiving. Turkey day was late in the month in 2019 and I thought maybe it warranted dispensations of my normal eschewing of decorating early.
I knew then, like I know now, a lot of people out there reading are going to pucker and clench involuntarily when reading this. And I know many people are going to start with the meme logic: Let Thanksgiving get here first! It snows in November because you decorate early!
But last Saturday, I found myself wondering if maybe, because 2020 has been one freaking disaster after another, if it was time to let in a little more joy and levity early. Maybe it was time to venture into the attic drag down the Rubbermaids.
Creepily, Facebook popped an article from People magazine on Saturday which said that people who decorate for Christmas earlier are happier.
"In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate to things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of the childhood," psychologist Steve McKeown said.
So I marched over to my nine-year-old daughter and said to her we were going to take a drive out to some local stores and check out some lights to add to our display. And she promptly flopped back on the couch and said she didn't feel like it.
I begged, I guilted, I cajoled, I bribed and finally she agreed to take a quick ride to look at the lights at one store and one store only.
So as we approached said one store, which was a home improvement store, I could see the lights behind the automatic doors and I started dancing and singing a made up song about Christmas lights which prompted my kid into a fit of giggles. Soon she was walking up and down the aisle trying to convince me we needed to buy at least ten new things.
She then insisted we look through more stores. We went to five in all on Saturday night, and we enjoyed every moment of it. And yes, we were both happier.
On Sunday night my wife set up a Chromebook for our daughter given to us by a friend. The first thing she did was Google me, read my latest column and then click the link to send me an email where she pitched writing our story of Christmas lights.
I agreed. And I asked if she wanted to submit a little something of her own to verify my recollection (two sources is better, after all).
So I leave you with her thoughts, unedited in her own words, emailed to me from her first gmail account.
Nat's Notations
"The Christmas lights made me happy because I love that Christmas feeling and it made me happy spending time with my dadders! Also I did not feel like leaving the house, honestly I just wanted to be lazy. But as soon as we saw those Christmas lights, I felt a very warm and tingly feeling rush through my body! I was thrilled that I ended up going. My dad is HILARIOUS! He makes me feel better when I need it, and he is so INCREDIBLY funny! When my dad makes jokes like that it really makes all my worries go away and it really makes me feel just so loved and appreciated! My dad is always there for me, and he always will be! He is just so creative with his jokes, and he is teaching ME how to become just as funny as he is! Maybe even better! (OH YEAH daddy, I just wrote that!) He also made up a little song when he made the joke! It was very stupid, and it made me look so much cooler than him as people saw him dancing around. (Well... until he picked me up and flung me around like I do when I need to pick up my cat to get him to leave). At first, he made up the song, then he started moving my hand up and down, then he picked me up!
If this is your first time reading my father's stuff. I hope you read it again. I wish I could write, 'I will see you next week for more of Nat's Notations' but sadly, my dad won't let me write another one of my GREAT little paragraphs again. So as the Japanese say, Sayonara and see you not soon! Oh! I almost forgot, thank you daddy for a funny experience!
Sincerely,
Russes kid
NATTERS!"
So as you can see the Christmas lights had an amazingly positive impact on me this past week. But if I am being honest, a lot of that might just be the fact that I had such great company when browsing.
Russ Crespolini is a Field Editor for Patch Media, adjunct professor and college newspaper advisor. His columns have won awards from the National Newspaper Association and the New Jersey Press Association.
He writes them in hopes of connecting with readers and engaging with them. And because it is cheaper than therapy. He can be reached at russ.crespolini@patch.com
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November 20, 2020 at 10:00PM
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Russs Ravings: Put Up The Christmas Lights Now. Thank Me Later - Long Valley, NJ Patch
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