"___ the Damn Season" (Taylor Swift holiday song)

TIS

Think of the festive phrase that starts many classic Christmas carols before "the season."

This clue references Taylor Swift’s holiday song "Christmas Tree Farm," where the opening line is "Tis the damn season to be jolly." The blank asks for the first word of that phrase, which is a playful twist on the traditional "’Tis the season." The answer is simply "TIS," a shortened, old-fashioned way of saying "it is."