I don’t care what anyone says. The holiday season is the best time of the year. It’s the only time (excluding my birthday) when I actually look forward to something. 

And now, Christmas is closer than ever. So reasonably, I’ve started to prepare. I have reorganized my home screen to match the winter-y aesthetic, started blaring my Christmas music while I do my work, and redownloaded a Christmas countdown on my phone, and the elf app (for those unfamiliar, it lets me paste my friends’ faces on dancing elves and is kinda my Christmas trademark).

For some reason, though, my family doesn’t understand my enthusiasm for the holidays. For the past week, my parents have unplugged my speaker when I’m playing music, ignored me showing them my new wallpaper and have constantly reminded me that we don’t celebrate Christmas. An unnecessary detail.

Despite all the Uncle-Scrooges in my family, my holiday spirit remains unfaltered. My holiday playlist is as festive as ever; Mariah Carey’s covers are the only thing keeping me from crying over junior year. Christmas music is undeniably cheerful and keeps me upbeat even while struggling to understand my APUSH textbook at 4 a.m. 

I don’t understand why playing Christmas music weeks or months early has so many haters. Christmas music does no harm. If anything, it spreads the holiday magic throughout the entire year but still doesn’t detract from the actual holiday season at all. Of course, Christmas music will always be more special in December, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t play it at other times.

Honestly, if it wasn’t so socially unacceptable, I’d play it in the summer. Christmas music on the beach in June is an underrated vibe. Just imagine merging two of the most celebrated times of the year, Christmas and summer vacation. That sounds like pure bliss to me. Blasting Darren Criss and Chris Colfer’s rendition of “Baby it’s Cold Outside” on repeat while having a picnic on the sand seems like the perfect cure for any type of sadness.