Ah, the most wonderful time of year again. The days are shorter and the air is colder, and it’s finally socially acceptable to play the music we all know and love. That’s right- the entire John Williams’ catalog for the Star Wars saga. This is the third consecutive December that’s witnessed the release of a Star Wars film, and I couldn’t be happier.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this isn’t still a dream because my five-year-old self would be over the moon to learn that my favorite series would eventually return.

With the exception of the teaser trailer for The Last Jedi that was released earlier this year, I’ve avoided each and every subsequent trailer with my greatest effort. Other than the sparse glimpse of the upcoming film that I received earlier this year, I have no idea what this film will even look like. The Force Awakens left us eager to decipher what would happen next between Rey, Luke, and the others.

So many theories arose to construe where everything would go, and upon hearing that some of these theories were made concrete by what some witnessed in these more recent trailers, I did everything in my power to avoid finding out what’s going to happen in The Last Jedi. I don’t want to know it until I see it in the theater next week.

So why is the release of Star Wars such a huge deal for me, and millions of other die-hard fans? For one, there’s nothing quite like the nostalgia embedded within each film, and the new ones are no exception to this trend. The sound of shrieking TIE fighters, clashing lightsabers, and the reprises of John Williams’ accompaniments to the film take us back to the good ol’ days of the Rebellion.

The suspense in nearly every scene keeps us hanging onto the edge of our seat, and the cinematography in each episode illustrates feelings and emotions that we can all relate to as humans, no matter where in the galaxy we may be. (And no matter what species you are).

These amazing films rely on the values of storytelling. Everyone in the Star Wars galaxy knows the story of Luke Skywalker, the force, the Clone Wars, and the Rebellion. The contrast between good and evil, heroes and villains, love, hate, deception, and spirituality is brought to life in this universe.

The stories parallel to previous events in history, and eerily reflect the current events we read about every day. This epic adventure never ceases to defy the barriers brought on by race, religion, gender, and even language.

Even during the unsettling times in which we find ourselves right now, the continuation of these films always seems to offer hope and wisdom to guide us through these questionable times.

So I’m thankful to know that Star Wars will always have our backs. It’s one of those fictional stories that offer such immense hope, assurance, and excitement within itself, that I look forward to each and every December so I can celebrate its existence.