I’m a holiday kind of guy.

Despite the cynicism that’s supposed to abide in the breast of any self-respecting newspaper guy, I love the holidays — both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I enjoy humming Christmas carols in the weeks leading up to the holidays, especially since I know that some of my colleagues do not enjoy hearing them. I like visiting friends and family bearing gifts.

Still, doesn’t the Christmas season seem to be coming earlier every year? I know that’s an old complaint, but it seems more valid than ever.

It was warm enough Sunday to open my living room window, and as I closed it in the evening I was surprised to see a house across the street ablaze with Christmas lights.

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, I grumbled. It looked pretty enough to keep me staring at it for a few minutes, but it’s too early.

Only a couple blocks away is a giant, inflated, illuminated turkey wearing a pilgrim’s hat. It’s about as tacky as you can get, but at least it’s timely.

And at a house even closer, Halloween decorations are still up.

Perhaps what we need is one mega-holiday that falls between Halloween and Jan. 1 on which we carve the jack-o’-lantern, light the menorah, decorate the tree, spin the dreidel, hang the mistletoe, roast the turkey, and give gifts to friends in observance of the birth of Christ and the Maccabees’ oil lamps that burned miraculously for eight nights.

We can call it Christmakkahzaaween.

Irv Dean is the Gazette’s city editor. E-mail him at dean@dailygazette.com.