Why Ian Harding doesn’t decorate for Christmas until December 23 – and is anti-light

Ian Harding is the star of not one but two holiday projects this season – but when it comes to celebrating at home, he’s not keen on decorating.

“I’m not big on lights outside,” Harding, 38, told Exclusively Us Weekly while promoting his Hallmark+ series, Holidasedand Netflix Our little secret.

The actor explained that option for outdoor lighting leading to an “electrical fire problem” factors in his resistance to tradition. “At least that’s the paranoid part of me,” Harding said with a laugh.

“But (I’m) big on indoor wreaths and bells. I like that,” he said of his decorating style, noting that it “drives our dogs crazy.” Harding and his wife, Sophie Harthave two dogs, Mochi and Bailey. They too has a sonwhich they welcomed in 2022.

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Despite being an indoor Christmas fan, Harding admitted that his decorations “usually come out right around, like, the 23rd.” December. “There’s just so much going on that we’re like, ‘Oh my God! Christmas is next week. Oh, okay,'” he teased. “And then we decorate.”

Harding’s cottage decor isn’t the only thing he’s still trying to perfect. The Pretty Little Liars alum told Us that he has not decided what Christmas classics he wants to show his son after seeing some strange ones as a child.

“I don’t know what this says about our family. We liked a good rich drama on Christmas Eve,” he laughed. “And so for years, my family, we would watch Christmas carol with George C. Scottwhich is so heavy and in some cases really scary.”

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Harding teased, “I don’t know what my dad was thinking” when he set up the 1984 version of the iconic film. “He said, ‘It’s good, it’ll enrich your soul or whatever,'” he recalled, noting, “There were parts of it (it was).”

Other parts haunted him though. “I knew if we got to the part where the guy opens his coat and it’s got the two malnourished little kids. I mean, I didn’t sleep that night,” Harding admitted. “And not because I was waiting for Santa.”

The actor explained that afterwards looking at A Christmas carol with his wife once, they realized they didn’t want to continue that tradition. “We haven’t really gone back to that,” he said.

Harding is considering watching the 1992s The Muppet’s Christmas Carol instead. “Now that I have a kid, let’s do Muppets as opposed to heavy English period drama,” he shared Us.

While Harding is used to a darker take on the holiday, he also recalled watching Hallmark movies. “It’s fun that we’ve now come full circle,” he said, referring to his Hallmark+ role Holidased.

Harding plays Josh Hill in the holiday series, which released its first two episodes on November 14. New episodes are released every Thursday.

“It’s basically going on in a cul-de-sac (with) a lot of different families,” Harding told Us of the premise. “And they’re kind of interconnected stories, and all kind of deal with Christmas and both the highs and lows that come with that holiday season together.”

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He teased: “My character, I’ve come back to see my family. It was supposed to be a quick trip of sorts and I don’t have an ulterior motive, but there’s more than one reason why I’m coming back.”

Harding added: “So through some shenanigans, maybe even my own incompetence, I end up having to stay for various, dare I say, legal reasons. Hilarity and potential romance ensue.”

In addition to his Holidased performance, Harding stars in Netflix’s Our little secret with Lindsay Lohan.

In the film, which premiered on Wednesday, November 27, Harding plays Logan, who pretends not to know Lohan’s Avery, despite dating for years. When the exes are forced together for Christmas while dating siblings, they become each other’s allies.

“I just think they get each other. Even years later, like little little details that are in the scripts, (show that connection),” Harding said of their character dynamic. “They are going out to cut down a Christmas tree together. And he just remembers this coffee thing (she likes).”

He explained that Avery “never thinks she’s going to be cold, and yet she’s always cold,” so Logan brings a jacket to the tree party.

“I think he just knows her and maybe she doesn’t want to admit this, but she knows him,” Harding teased, suggesting they’re “bound” to rekindle feelings, but added that fans have to to “tune in” to see if they actually rekindle their romance.

Holidased currently streaming on Hallmark+ and Our little secret can be seen on Netflix.