Every year, as Thanksgiving comes to a close, one thing is certain: the holiday season has begun. One of the earliest indicators of the holiday season is the transition radio stations make from their original programming to holiday music.

Birmingham, AL’s 100.1 FM and Duluth, MN’s 106.5 began broadcasting holiday music prior to Halloween, according to Digital Trends.

Fifty-nine percent of of CHS students start listening to holiday tunes after Thanksgiving, 17 percent before and 1 percent prior to Halloween, according to a survey from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 of 248 students. Twelve percent partake in Holiday music all year and 11 percent never do.

With the annual return of holiday music, there often comes large profits.

Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has grossed over $2.8 million since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in the early 2000s, according to New York Post. As of 2013, the song was reported to have earned over $50 million in royalties.

So,whether listeners like to hear holiday music year round or can barely stand it through December, the holiday music business is a lucrative industry, and many radio stations plan to cash in as early as possible.