'It's the most wonderful time of the year.' Well, Chelsea fans may have something to say about this.
It's been another strong start to the season for the Blues. Enzo Maresca's men currently sit third in the Premier League, having gone undefeated in all competitions in November.
Whilst there is currently plenty to be positive about from a Chelsea perspective, there are still questions to be answered as they approach one of the busiest times of the season.
December is where that schedule begins to get full with Premier League games being crammed into the week, proving a real test of the team's squad depth and fitness levels.
The Blues have struggled in this period in recent years, suffering heavily from the volume of games that take place in the 31 days of December.
Tuchel's title hopes diminish
Perhaps the most infamous example of the so-called 'December curse' for Chelsea was in the 21/22 season. The Blues were flying high both on confidence and in the Premier League table, sitting at the peak going into the month.
The morale around Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea seemed to be at an all-time high as they looked to build on their Champions League glory by mounting their first genuine title challenge in many seasons.
It looked like this was exactly what they were going to do, but once again, December proved to be the point where everything began to unravel for the Blues.
Whilst Chelsea only lost the solitary game to West Ham in December, it was the draws that really posed a problem for the Champions of Europe.
Points dropped to Everton, Wolves, and Brighton, in games where a team of Chelsea's quality should really have been winning, set them far behind the pace of the frontrunners.
One month effectively ended Chelsea's title hopes; a prime example of what a bad December can do to a season.
Why has this been a problem for Chelsea?
A particular reason why this is so often a problem for Chelsea is the over-reliance on players. Not so much currently, but back when the likes of Tuchel and Graham Potter were on the sidelines for Chelsea, wing-backs were heavily relied on.
This is why consistent injuries to the likes of Reece James and Ben Chilwell did not serve the Blues any favour. Even when James was fit, the England international sustained an injury in this period on multiple occasions.
Particularly last season, results dropped as the month progressed as the Blues seemed to show signs of fatigue in the later stages, drawing with Everton before losing to Fulham and Ipswich in back-to-back games.
What problems may Chelsea face this year?
The easiest potential issue to identify is the youthfulness of this Chelsea team. Enzo Maresca has an incredibly young squad at his disposal in a time of year where experience often comes in handy.
Questions will be asked about Chelsea's ability to see out results, especially in the latter stages of December, when players will likely begin to get tired. This side has already shown frailties when hanging onto leads, potentially providing some cause for concern in that department.
But with a squad as deep as the one Chelsea has, Maresca will hope that he can rotate accordingly and keep his squad fit during this extremely busy period.
Only when Chelsea can navigate key parts of the season like this will they be taken seriously and brought into the title conversation. Will this be the year for the Blues?