As long as I can remember, Christmas has been my favorite time of the year. I get to see my family, shop, eat great food and forget about the stress of life for a while. Tell me how that isn't something we could all use a little more of in our lives?

Shopping

Christmas begins in the world of retail by at least mid-September, and in many places, even earlier than that. This creates an atmosphere of happy shopping, fun decorations and all of our favorite things about the holiday season, so naturally I begin creating gift list after gift list for family, friends and acquaintances. I love shopping for other people so getting in the holiday mindset inspires me.

Food

If I feel like I'm celebrating Christmas, I'll feel less guilty when I'm eating pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce and drinking apple cider on a daily basis. Not to mention eggnog goes on sale in early November and I'm pretty sure that's like the universal indicator of the Christmas season.

Movies

All four "Home Alone" films, "Eloise at Christmastime," "Elf," "Love Actually," "Die Hard"! Some of the greatest movies of all time are based on a holly, yet often not-so-jolly, holiday season. And we know that when ABC and Hallmark begin the non stop screenings of Christmas classics, it's time to ring in the season.

Decor

Maybe I just like decorations more than everyone else. Maybe I collect more Christmas ornaments than everyone and want to show them off. Or maybe I like sparkly tinsel more than the rest of the world. But I do know I'm not the only one who likes the mistletoe. You know who you are.

Snow

Okay, so I live in Florida and I don't set foot out the door without a scarf if the temperature drops below 70 degrees. A girl can dream. Besides, synthetic snow these days is really top-notch.

Traditions

My favorite part of the holiday season is all the little traditions I share with my family. And as is the case with many people, a lot of my family members are a tad over-the-hill and getting to enjoy those traditions now is just so precious. If that means pulling out the decorations a little earlier and leaving them up a bit longer, so be it.