It’s time for holiday traditions to start peeking their heads out from whatever plastic storage bin or cardboard box to which they’ve been relegated for the past year.

Several holidays are approaching and my family is getting ready — at least mentally — for all of them.

First up, there’s Halloween — which begins Oct. 1 and runs through Oct. 31. I know what you’re thinking. “Why only a month?” I agree, but I’m trying to be reasonable.

My family and I love scary movies and keeping them only within the confines of 31 days is just plain wrong. But we do try to celebrate our creepy preferences by putting up a few Halloweeny decorations, watching a few scary movies together and reading a horror or suspense novel during the month.

It’s also an excuse for my wife to buy peanut butter taffy wrapped in orange and black paper, the orange circus peanut candies that are the byproduct of nuclear fission, and whatever new flavor Peeps have been released (if there are any coming out this year).

Then there’s Thanksgiving! For many years, my parents’ home was the destination for a festive family feast of ham and/or turkey, dressings, casseroles, breads, sauces, vegetables and desserts. All followed by the traditional food coma, of course.

This year will be a little different — we’re supposed to be relocating to my sister’s new house, located about 100 yards away from our parents’ place, through the woods. It’ll be the first family gathering there, and we’re all looking forward to it. Though it’ll be a new physical spot, I don’t think it’ll feel weird because all the same people will be there, God willing.

Thanksgiving is also an excuse for my wife to buy peanut butter taffy wrapped in orange and black paper, the orange circus peanut candies that are the byproduct of nuclear fission (and were a favorite of her dad’s), and whatever new flavor Peeps have been released (God help us).

Then there’s Christmas! It’s one of the grandest holidays, not least because it is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the physical incarnation of God with us.

We’ll decorate one of our half dozen Christmas trees — just kidding, I know we’ll decorate more than one of our six, or is it seven? — have some get-togethers (we hope) and watch Christmas movies.

“Die Hard” is definitely a Christmas movie. Another perennial favorite for me is “It’s a Wonderful Life” — one of my dad’s favorites as I grew up, it quickly became one of mine, as well, and I lost count many years ago as to how many times I’ve seen it.

Christmas is also an excuse for my wife to buy peanut butter taffy — though she really wishes they’d use red and green wrappers at Christmas — the orange circus peanut candies that are the basement child of Styrofoam and Chernobyl, and whatever new flavor Peeps have been sent out into the world to inspire new internet videos of how to melt them.

Oh, and there’s Hanukkah! I can set out my two menorahs and light the candles — not because I’m a Jew but because I appreciate the culture and history so much. Then later in December I’ll buy up more candles for ridiculously low prices because hardly anyone ever buys them locally.

I wonder if Hanukkah has its own flavor of Peeps.

Holidays are great times to have fun. But we don’t have to wait for holidays to be positive and happy. Every day is a reason to celebrate, really. I mean, we’ve made it this far.

Brett Campbell can be reached at brett.campbell@dailyleader.com.