By Justin McKinney, Staff Writer

Last year, I wrote a piece on how I hated everything about the sudden emergence of Christmas advertisements and decorations right after Halloween.

I was so agitated by the fact that it was rushing the year for me. It was like time was hitting fast-forward and all of a sudden it was already December and another year had passed.

However, for some strange and unknown reason, I love the early Christmas stuff this year.

I really can’t tell you why, something about it just makes me jolly and ready for gift giving as well as yuletide smiles.

In fact, I was in the liquor store yesterday and without hesitation I grabbed a six-pack of Sam Adams White Christmas over Oktoberfest, which is something that only a year ago I would have considered ludicrous seeing as how it’s November.

I think that I had a revelation. The fact is is that Christmas really is the greatest time of the year.

For the most part, everyone is cheerful and ready to give (as well as make compromises) to make others happy. Not to mention, it’s in that beginning chunk of winter when no one is sick of the cold and they’re still embracing it.

I also realized that Thanksgiving and Christmas are like PP&J and need to be celebrated together. These two holidays are a month apart and while Christmas is religious, they both promote a ton of the same ideas at their cores.

Each holiday is based on the idea of giving; maybe there is a much larger emphasis on Christmas, but Thanksgiving certainly has its moments.

They both are also all about togetherness: Thanksgiving is literally an entire holiday devoted to a spectacular meal with the ones you love most. Christmas is essentially the same idea.

I am learning to realize that I cannot fight the fact that corporate America is just going to keep shoving Christmas down our throats. I have also learned that continuing to fight it is just going to ruin November for me, so why do it?

But hey, I can honestly say I am pretty cheerful as compared to where I was last November. Truth be told I get giddy as a six-year-old around Christmas time just because I like giving my family gifts so much.

I also love the idea that for if only a month we can all pretend like we love each other instead of the run-of-the-mill “everybody sucks” attitude many people have come to adopt.

I guess I just don’t see a problem in letting those feelings take over a month earlier. Why not have holiday joy for an extra four weeks? Why not walk around with a jolly grin on for eight weeks instead of four? What is the issue for spreading good will amongst people for the last bit of fall instead of just the first bit of winter?

In my book, not a single thing. I always used to hate people who embraced this early Christmas crap, but now I guess I am one of them. It isn’t rushing the year anymore – it’s just feeling giddy and joyful over nothing for 60 days instead of only 30.

You might think I’m crazy and I guess I have developed a “If you can’t beat them join them” attitude, but I’m happier than Saint Nick on Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays, everyone!