Take a trip to Tinsel Town, friends.

As I’m writing this, it’s Halloween. Tonight is all about spooks, scares, and donkey sauce (I’m going out dressed as Guy Fieri). But first thing tomorrow morning, as far as I’m concerned, the holiday season shifts into full swing.

I’m talking cheap plastic Santas adorning my yard, a fruitcake I probably won’t eat gently simmering the oven, botched gingerbread houses, perfectly-curated yuletide playlists, that holiday episode of The Office where Dwight offers to clean a holiday goose he hit on the highway in the conference room – hell, I might even whistle “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” as I scrape inevitable ice off the windshield of my deteriorating Ford Taurus for the first of countless times.

I’m gonna start celebrating early; I always celebrate early. And for some reason, I’m supposed to feel bad about that.

But to everyone who starts complaining about the cold, the snow, not enough snowplowing, too much salt, how the malls have their holiday stuff out already, and how the radio stations are playing Christmas music too early: Have fun with seasonal affective disorder, I guess!

A few years ago, when I was student at UW-Eau Claire, I remember it snowed on Oct. 13 and while everyone else was whining and “woe is Wisconsin”-ing about it, I walked up the hill after class to my too-toasty dorm room, threw on Billie Holiday’s “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” broke into some winter Oreos (with the red frosting), and I dealt with it my way: Getting and staying festive.

But to everyone who starts complaining about the cold, the snow, not enough snowplowing, too much salt, how the malls have their holiday stuff out already, and how the radio stations are playing Christmas music too early: Have fun with seasonal affective disorder, I guess! The rest of us are out there trying to have a good time, doing our best to stave off winter as long as possible.

Because winter is terrible. Nobody likes winter. It’s long, it’s difficult, and it’s a real hassle for those of us who like to have fun and be joyful. But what I’m saying is: Don’t give up. You’ll never run out of different versions of different Christmas songs to listen to. You’ll never run out of terribly cheesy holiday Lifetime movies on Netflix about single moms trying to travel across the country to be with their sons on Christmas Eve or whatever. There’s an endless supply of candy and treats in the world. You can buy a mile of tinsel if you want to. Think about that! A mile of tinsel!

The point is: If you want the holiday season to last two weeks, you can do that! If you want it to last two months, you can do that! If you want to keep the spirit alive all the year round, you can do that! The holidays are a bright, warm oasis in the middle of the harshest and most terrible of all the seasons. If you want to make that last longer, just do it, and don’t apologize for it.

Unlike most radio stations, I’ve been guilty of keeping my celebration subtle until Black Friday – the culturally-accepted holiday season kick-off date – by wearing headphones when I’m listening to “Merry Christmas Baby” by Otis Redding 12 times in a row at work (one for each day of Christmas) or by watching Home Alone and eating candy canes in my apartment at two in the morning under cover of darkness. But I’m done feeling ashamed about it.

Starting Nov. 1, I’ll be bringing cheer, y’all. So either accept it and move on or get out of the way, because when I wake up tomorrow, I’m a sleigh bells-jinglin’, ring ting tinglin’ tornado ready to blow through town spreading joy and merriment to everyone I come across – and I’m never gonna feel bad about it again.