'I've got my Christmas tree up already - it's never too early for festive joy'

08 September 2023 , 15:07

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Hannah has loved Christmas since she was a child (Image: Hannah Bartlett /Festive Lights)

A woman is so in love with the festive season, she has her Christmas tree up all year round. Hannah Bartlett, 43, from Surrey, runs a Christmas blog with her sister, Jo, which means she's always thinking about the special time of year. While she explained she doesn't start celebrating the holiday period until closer to December, she enjoys being involved in festive fun throughout the year.

"We keep [the tree] in our front hallway and it does cause quite a few comments as people come to the house or see it through the porch window. We get so blasé about it," she exclusively told the Mirror. "We keep the tree up and we keep elements of Christmas décor up throughout the year and have discovered that there's a certain comfort from having a little Christmas sprinkled into our everyday life.

Hannah is an avid Chrismtas fun (Hannah Bartlett /Festive Lights)

Hannah with her sister Jo (Hannah Bartlett /Festive Lights)

"Not everyone goes to Christmas shops when they're on holiday to buy their souvenirs nor does everyone put the John Lewis Christmas website or shop release date in their diary. So we realised that we are unusual and that we have more to say about Christmas than most people. But I don't celebrate Christmas personally until the festive season."

Hannah's love for this time of the year started when she was a child and has continued into adulthood. She said she's "sufficiently obsessed with Christmas" and during the summer holidays, she made wrapping paper with her children in preparation. Hannah continued: "It's never bothered me the idea of buying baubles in April or menu planning in July. We've completed a map of all the Christmas shops across the UK, because they're all independent businesses, and they're really hard to hunt out."

The reason that Hannah has the Christmas tree up 24/7 is because she and her sister use it for photoshoots. It's much easier for the pair to keep the tree up instead of taking it down and putting it back up again continuously. While it has a practical use, for someone who loves Christmas as much as Hannah, it brings joy to her every day.

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"It's never ever occurred to me not to talk about Christmas. People often ask me 'If you spend all year thinking about Christmas isn't boring when it gets to your own Christmas?' And I realised that I've always separated it in my head. So I kind of have my business Christmas and regular Christmas. It's still just as magical for me as it always was," she said. "Our blog, Jolly Festive, came to be because of the passion that we have for the season and those childhood memories. It's that nostalgia for those special times that we hold so dear."

She loves finding Christmas decorations from all across the country (Hannah Bartlett /Festive Lights)

Not everyone can agree on putting up your Christmas decorations so early. Every year the "right" time to put up the tree divides opinion, with popular traditions slipping away. This is what the experts at Festive Lights had to say about putting up your Christmas decorations early.

"Tradition states that the best time to decorate your house for the festive season is four Sundays away from Christmas Day, however, we've seen that those popular traditions are slipping away with Christmas fans starting early. Psychologists have recently stated that getting into the festive spirit early can be a great way of giving your mental health a boost," Paula Boston, visual merchandiser, said.

"As the focal point for many households, it's important to ensure that, where possible, your Christmas decorations are not cluttering up your household if they're up for a long period of time. You should also be careful if you're buying your Christmas tree more than a month in advance as you do run the risk of tree branches drooping and falling off by Christmas Day, although the positive is that these issues can often have quick fixes. We usually recommend putting your tree up in late November, especially if you're using a real tree as they usually only last four weeks. With lights and other decorations, don’t be afraid to bring them out a little early if you need some festive cheer!"

Billie Schwab Dunn