The holidays start November 1st- or at least the holiday season does. That is when radio stations begin playing Mariah Carey’s Festive album, local cafés will start serving peppermint lattes, and best of all, holiday decorations will fill your favorite stores. For many, November is dedicated to the holiday of Thanksgiving- but for me, the cranberries, turkey, and pumpkin pies are being tossed from the fridge and replaced with eggnog, pecan pie, and peppermint mocha creamer.

I can’t help but mock the grinches who refuse to play Michael Bublé before Thanksgiving. The ba-hum-bug critics repeatedly express their hatred for holiday music before Thanksgiving, and maybe I’ll listen to them if they’d be willing to hand over some “thanksgiving music” that seems to be so apparent in their anti-holiday lives. My pop-culture influenced life, for the better or worst, will obey Sia and her “Everyday is Christmas” album.

Maybe dressing up as Santa for Halloween is a little too much; however, we can’t forget that Santa Claus shows up every Thanksgiving at the Macys parade. He is as stuffed as the Thanksgiving turkey and just as big of an attraction the blow-up Kermit the Frog, so why should we deny him the opportunity to be a part of the tradition?

The answer is that we shouldn’t. Instead, invite the jolly guy over through your speakers by playing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” as you get ready to do some Black Friday shopping. Maybe he’ll come early this year with some awesome deals so you can treat yourself.

You can expect to be on the naughty list this year if you tell me to stop playing holiday albums in November (and if I’m in the mood, any other month of the year for that matter.) I’ll also be happy to kick you off my roof if you protest the hanging of Christmas lights during the first week of November, the week in which we turn our clocks back an hour and the sun sets around five in the evening–so why not add some additional lighting?

Even though November has passed and we are now “officially” in the Holiday season this applies year-round, the holidays aren’t just a time of year- they’re an emotion, and if I’m every feeling “Christmassy” you can bet that I’ll be driving to work singing “Jingle Bells,” no matter the month.