Decorating early beats 2020 blues

Christmas colors and lights can brighten a year known for disease, downturns, dreariness

The pandemic, business shutdowns and economic and election stress — 2020 is the worst year ever. And while some people are dealing with it all by eating and drinking their feelings, others are getting a mood boost with an early shot of Christmas.

Many in San Antonio are decorating their homes for the holidays earlier than usual, skipping the fall gourds and going straight from Halloween to deck the halls.

“After exhausting the limited distractions and diversions of Netflix, what better way to combat the negativity brought on by the pandemic than an early Christmas?” asked life coach and Monte Vista resident Melissa Bedard.

Bedard normally waits until after Thanksgiving to put up her holiday decorations, but 2020 brought Bedard the additional challenge of dealing with her mother’s failing health. While closing up her mother’s home, she went through all of her family’s vintage Christmas decorations. After ordering a new tree from Amazon, she brought out all of the decorations right after Halloween.

“When I opened the box of old Christmas ornaments from my mom ... it was like seeing old friends again,” Bedard said. “And that makes me happy, and that is happy with a capital ‘H’.”

Are Bedard and other early decorators on to something? Yes, say the experts. Studies show decorating early can make you happier.

Deborah Serani, a New York psychologist and professor explained in an NBC “Today Show” interview that decorating early creates a “neurological shift” in mood and causes levels of the feelgood hormone dopamine to spike. Our brains also react positively to the bright lights, colors and nostalgia of the season.

As for traditionalists who believe Christmas decorations should not be seen until the Thanksgiving turkey is replaced with the holiday ham, maybe this is the year to bend a little. Diane Gottsman, a leading national etiquette expert with The Protocol School of Texas based in San Antonio, stressed that life is about compromise, and the old decorum is out the window.

This year, you get to choose what makes you happy — without any judgment.

Christmas has always made

Jon Jimenez happy. Most years, the CEO and owner of NV Medical supplies starts decorating the week before Thanksgiving and then opens his Castle Hills home to friends and family for a large holiday party where groups gather to take in the amazing display of Christmas trees adorning every room.

But there will be no holiday gathering of close friends this year because of the pandemic. So he brought out his trees and all the ornaments that were gifts from dear friends even earlier. He used the time to reflect on his friends through their connection with the ornaments as he placed them on the tree.

All of the ornaments have special meaning. He goes to these extremes for his own mood, but also for his niece, who is the child of a single parent, because it brings her joy and that gives him satisfaction.

“This is the happiest time for me,” said Jimenez. “It makes me feel good and takes away some of the negative energy now.”

For Abigail Kampmann, CEO and co-founder of Principle Auto Group, early Christmas decorating has always been a part of her auto dealership life, but this is the first year she’s decided to decorate her home near the Alamo Quarry Market early. As soon as Halloween came down, Christmas came out.

“I’m decorating early because I love Christmas,” Kampmann said. She also was excited to celebrate the end of repairs to

her home after a tornado hit it in May. 2020 strikes again.

She had a few female friends over earlier this week, and they were all inspired to go home and start decorating early. “It makes me feel good to know that my tree and decorations gave my friends pleasure,” she said.

Over in Pleasanton, Courtney Ringelstein says that positivity is one of her strengths. But 2020 was a challenge for even this normally chipper San Antonio

Junior League president and home school mom.

“This year has been awful,” Ringelstein said. “I lost my dad in February, our plans for Junior League community initiatives have been squelched by the pandemic with mandated social distancing and keeping two active sons involved and motivated is always challenging.”

She normally waits until after Thanksgiving to decorate, but not this year. Ringelstein has

chosen a blue tree that will reflect the spirit and traditions of San Antonio, she said.

“The Christmas season with its decorations, music, and bringing family together is important — and the earlier, the better,” Ringelstein explained. “It is our love language.”

And it may make 2020 just a little bit brighter.

Photos byWilliam Luther / Staff photographer A family heirloom hangs on Kampmann’s Christmas tree. She says this is her first year to decorate early.

Abigail Kampmann put up her Christmas tree and decorated her home for the holidays early this year, inspiring her friends to do the same.

Photos by Jerry Lara / Staff photographer Jon Jimenez set up several Christmas trees and ornaments that were gifts from dear friends throughout his Castle Hills home.

Jimenez used the time to reflect on his friends through their connection with the ornaments as he placed them on the tree.