For all my Christmas lovers and addicts out there, this is for you. I know Halloween is right around the corner, and as soon as the clock strikes midnight on November 1st, IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME! ….No. It’s not.

You have to stop thinking that it is. If you choose not to celebrate Thanksgiving for religious purposes, that’s okay. Skipping to Christmas because you forgot about Thanksgiving….is not. I know it’s a great holiday (the best, in my opinion), but you have to give each holiday their due diligence. I struggle with Christmas addiction myself, and here’s how I deal with it.

Set a timeline and stick to it

The best thing to do is layout each holiday or season and follow it to a T. So I’d say start with autumn. Decorate your room for the fall season and start drinking apple cider. THEN…you can move to Halloween and Thanksgiving, and finally, Christmas. And there are even random holidays all throughout November that you can celebrate to keep your focus elsewhere.

Make separate playlists

One of the things that helps me through the process the most is the music I listen to. The music associated with a holiday is one of the biggest ways people celebrate. So, with my timeline, I have music to go with each section. I have 3 different fall playlist, a Halloween playlist, a Thanksgiving playlist (which took forever to make), and 2 Christmas playlists (a lo-fi hip hop one for studying, and a full send Christmas playlist). Each playlist serves a purpose and they are all helpful to the process of following my timeline.

Celebrate each holiday to the fullest

When the holidays come, GO ALL OUT! Treat Halloween like it’s the last you’ll ever have. Act like Thanksgiving dinner is the first time you’ve ever tasted food. Do whatever you need to do to really give each holiday the time it deserves. All three of these steps together, if done consistently, will definitely help you with your Christmas addiction.

If you must give in to your Christmas craving. Do so sparingly. For example, if you just need to scratch that itch, watch one Christmas movie that you love or listen to Christmas music for an hour and then move on. It’s okay to have a favorite holiday, but let’s not be those people that start celebrating Christmas in September.