Despite how many radio stations and stores may already be playing holiday music, the Christmas season doesn’t officially start for me until I watch Love Actually the night of Thanksgiving.

I first watched the 2003 Richard Curtis film five years ago during my freshman year of college. One of my hallmates owned the DVD, and we watched it one night in December while we procrastinated studying for finals (in our pajamas at 1am after having way too much caffeine). That winter, I watched the film so many times that, quite frankly, I was worried I was going to get sick of it – and I loved it so much, that was the LAST thing I wanted to happen. Therefore, I told myself I would only watch it between Thanksgiving and Christmas so I could savor my favorite Christmas film and give me even more of a reason to look forward to the Christmas season.

Beginning in November 2008, after I’ve filled my stomach with too much pumpkin pie and cookies, I get cozy in my pajamas, crawl into bed, and watch Love Actually on my laptop before going to sleep. It’s a personal tradition I’ve developed and have grown to look quite forward to every year. Now in my mind, the Christmas season hasn’t officially started until I’ve watched my Thanksgiving viewing of, in my opinion, the greatest Christmas film made in the 21st century.

What makes Love Actually such a great Christmas film? If you haven’t seen it before, the premise of the movie is “Love, actually, is all around us.” It follows nine plots with an ensemble cast and their different relationships with each other. Starring Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Billy Nighy, Martin Freeman, Keira Knightley, Gregor Fisher, Andrew Lincoln, Martine McCutcheon, Joanna Page, Laura Linney, Rodrigo Santoro, Michael Fitzgerald, Kris Marshall, Thomas Sangster, Rowan Atkinson, and Olivia Olsen, the perfect cast portrays each of the realistic love stories in the most brilliant and hilarious way possible.

It portrays different types of love in the film – husband and wife, father and son, unrequited love, finding love when you least expect it, taking chances on love, and realizing that love truly is what matters in life. Curtis’ perfect combination of the casting, writing, and sense of reality in each of the plots that truly fills the viewer’s heart with happiness, anticipation, laughter, and hope – which are all feelings associated with the holiday season.

So tonight, after you’ve filled your stomachs with turkey and pumpkin pie, and after time with family and friends has been had, I highly recommend crawling into bed or laying out on your favorite couch and kicking off the Christmas season with the brilliant and fantastic Love Actually.

(If you’ve never seen the film before and want to check out the trailer, you can here!)