When the fall season hits (and sometimes long before it), stores are suddenly filling their shelves with all things ghosts, goblins, and pumpkins galore, and everyone gets into the Halloween spirit. We start talking about what we want to dress up as for our Halloween costume, the kind of candy you’ll get for the trick-or-treaters, how much fun the kids had bobbing for apples the other day. That’s all pretty standard.

But there’s a new Halloween trend this year that we’ve never seen before. It’s called the Halloween Christmas tree, and it’s for people who love Halloween, but also can’t wait for Christmas either. There are people who love the holidays and then there are people who loooove the holidays, amirite?

A perfect in-between, Halloween Christmas trees are just what they sound like: Essentially a Christmas tree, but instead of being decorated with ornaments, popcorn strings, candy canes, and a gold star, it’s arranged with all things Halloween: Skulls, pumpkins, orange and black everything, really whatever you want, so long as it relates to Halloween.

Halloween Christmas trees are great for lots of reasons. They:

• Inspire you to get creative
• Are a great kid-friendly activity to get into the spooky spirit
• Get you into the Christmas season spirit early
• Allow you to recycle the tree to use for your Christmas tree
• Look amazing in your home

Some of the Halloween trees we’ve seen are honestly amazing. Take a look at this The Nightmare Before Christmas tree (which totally marries the two holidays together:

This witch tree topper and witches feet on this tree below is totally getting us in the mood for a costume party.

Or how creative is this cobweb drapery and spooky skull “ornaments”?

As you can see, the Halloween Christmas tree trend is kind of amazing, and is catching on pretty quickly. Just search the hashtag #halloweenchristmas or #halloweenchristmastree and you’ll be mesmerized by some of the amazing creativity!

And if you’re not a fan of how early people get into the holiday spirit these days, know that psychologists say that putting Christmas decorations up early makes you happier. 

“The holiday season stirs up a sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia helps link people to their personal past and it helps people understand their identity,” says Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. “For many, putting up Christmas decorations early is a way for them to reconnect with their childhoods.”

While Halloween trees don’t necessarily quite count as Christmas decorations, we’re sure the Halloween trend works in the same way to bring out the kid in you or just make you feel like a kid again yourself. Hey, it certainly can’t hurt, right?

What do you think of the Halloween Christmas tree trend? Are you pro merging the holidays, or would rather stick with just a Christmas tree this year? Do you think you’ll ever make a Halloween Christmas tree? What are your favorite nontraditional ways to celebrate Halloween?