Christmas is one of the most anticipated times of the year and Christmas obsessors far and wide know the magic and feeling of Christmas-time can not be replaced or mimicked. Your obsession usually has an annual pattern of five stages.

1. Realization

Occurs at the end of summer. After the summer break, that technically means fall, which is just a setup for winter. So Christmas is practically here, right? Your family refuses to help you unpack the decorations, but your Christmas spirit lives on as you put your Xmas Playlist on shuffle and dream of hot chocolate, eggnog, pie, trees and cookies.

2. Suppressed excitement

Occurs during October and early November. Your eagerness for Christmas grows and you break out your Christmas socks, but your friends and teachers think that you are absolutely insane. Christmas isn’t even for a couple more months, but it’s so close you can taste it!

3. Intense infatuation

Begins Thanksgiving. Black Friday sales and people are putting up their lights and trees! You put up your own tree and make hot chocolate with your relatives from out of town. The presents under the tree compile at a slow steady rate until there is no more room. The radio plays Christmas music and you are taking finals before break. Every hot chocolate flavor combination has been made in your kitchen and it smells like cookies all the time.

4. Denial

Occurs December 26. Now it is over. The tree goes down. As do the lights and the stockings, back in the plastic bins that contain all Christmas spirit. The carton of eggnog is empty and all the cookies have been eaten. The wrapping paper floods your recycling bin (remember to recycle!) and you can help but to feel that your identity has been robbed.

5. Acceptance

Begins mid-January. You accept that Christmas will occur next year and you will probably be there to see it. Now it is time to find a date for Valentine’s day and know that everything might be okay. Plus, spring is practically here and that means summer break is coming!