Grumbling about ‘Christmas creep’ might be popular, but there are jolly good reasons to stretch out the season of goodwill
Many of us have long suspected Christmas creep – the festive season beginning earlier every year – to be real, and now it’s been proven.
A recent analysis of figures from major supermarkets, local news bulletins and the UK Top 40 chart provides vindication for Grinch-like grumblers. Cold hard data now supports the theory that Christmas songs, decorations and merchandise are appearing earlier and earlier (in the UK at least).
But, lining the pockets of mince pie manufacturers aside, what if there was good reason to stretch out the festive period?
After all, the long nights and cold days are nature’s invitation to hunker down and embrace the fallow months. Our circadian rhythm implores us to rest, reflect and to rejuvenate.
To do so could even be a rebellion against the relentless march of modern life, which demands us to doggedly plough on. For some, Christmas emerges not as a relief but another stress. But it needn’t necessarily be that way.
Here are five reasons, from reconnection to the richness offered by ritual, to consider stretching out the festive period.
Whether it’s the Christmas lights going on, the winter solstice, or the first nativity play of the season, opportunities for ritual abound over the festive period. Author Jay Griffiths is among those urging us to slow down and enjoy them. “Rituals are the doorways of the psyche,” she writes, “between the sacred and the profane, between purity and dirt, beauty and ugliness, and an opening out of the ordinary into the extraordinary.”
And here’s the thing, Griffiths adds: “Rituals work – even for people who say they don’t believe in them. Rituals alleviate grief, reduce anxiety and increase confidence.”
In fact, studies have shown that Christmas rituals in particular boost wellbeing for many, likely because they evoke memories of times gone by. Even more reason to savour them.
Image: Kate Mishchankova
Christmas is supposedly the season of goodwill. Is there something in it? A Danish study shed some light on the matter in 2015. Its authors identified a “Christmas spirit network” in the brains of people who mark the occasion. The areas within the network were associated with spirituality and recognition of emotion.
It helps to explain, perhaps, why many of us feel a desire to connect with old friends and distant relatives at Christmas, even just with a simple card. Amid a loneliness epidemic and an acute ‘male friendship recession’, fostering human connection has added poignancy these days. Taking time to meet an old pal or write a letter to a distant relative could turn that intangible Christmas spirit into something profound.
Image: Mohamed Jamil Latrach
Getting in the festive spirit early could save you some cash as last-minute shopping is generally pricier.
Deliberating over food for the table and gifts for loved ones (if you buy gifts) increases the likelihood of making conscious choices, rather than panic-buying from the likes of Amazon and unwittingly funding space flight for billionaires. In the UK, people return around £7bn worth of items they’ve bought online each year, creating a mountain of waste in the process.
Image: William Warby
For much of the year, many of us can find ourselves racing through life on autopilot, scarcely noticing small details in the everyday. But by slowing down and being more attentive to experiences – the smell of mulled wine, say, or the sight of a winter’s mist cloaking the woods – we open ourselves up to awe. Or so reckons psychologist Jonah Paquette, author of Awestruck: How Developing a Sense of Wonder Can Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Connected.
And awe, studies have shown, slows our perception of time – a phenomenon known as ‘time dilation’. As well as ‘slowing’ time, experiencing awe is linked with a range of health benefits, including improved mood, lower stress and, according to one study, a greater propensity towards altruism.
Image: Aaron Burden
Whoever decided that it’s bad luck to keep the Christmas decorations up after the Twelfth Night was channelling their inner Scrooge. Fairy lights and tinsel bring some welcome cheer to the long winter nights, which may feel even longer for those embracing a new year’s diet or dry January.
Such seasonal austerity might be in vogue, but it can bring on the blues after the merriment of Christmas. If you can, take a few extra days off work in early January to ease yourself in. And don’t fret about the decorations. There’s evidence that our medieval ancestors kept the tinsel up until Candlemas on 2 February, which historically marked the end of Christmas. They were probably on to something.
Image: Debby Hudson
Main image: fotostorm
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