As I sit down to write this article (in the middle of June, mind you) I am listening to my television playing in the background. What movie is on, might you ask? Well my friends, you may don looks of confusion when I cheerfully tell you that I am watching my worn-out copy of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

When I tell people that I like to listen to Christmas music during any time of year, and that I fully support the idea of Christmas in July, I get mixed responses. Sometimes they laugh, sometimes they think I’m just looking for attention, and even the children at the school where I work think the only reason I’m so invested in the whole shebang is because I look forward to getting presents.

And don’t get me wrong, waking up to find beautifully wrapped boxes beneath the iridescent glow of the Christmas tree is exciting, but they are far from the reason why there is a Christmas Countdown on my phone.

I think we can all agree that our world has a lot of problems. Globally, violence, hunger, disease, and poverty plague our fellow human beings, and the news is constantly stricken with gossip, debate, and controversy. On a smaller scale, our own lives are not perfect, either. Every individual deals with their own set of problems, some more severe than others, but the end result is the same. Regardless of whether you worry about how you will put food on the table tomorrow, or if your biggest concern is that you’re going to bomb that Statistics final you didn’t study for, you must find something to light up your life and bring joy to your day. And for me, that ‘something’ is a little taste of Christmas.

I have always loved the holiday season; I come from a very loving family, and some of the happiest memories of my childhood are of decorating the tree with my brother, baking cookies with my mother, or helping my father make breakfast on Christmas morning. Even the Christmas when I couldn’t leave my bedroom because I was so ill, my grandmother made it memorable by sitting with me all day, and bringing some of the cheer from downstairs up to my bedside.

To be honest, I think we would all benefit from partaking in the Christmas spirit all year round.

Now before you misunderstand what I’m suggesting, allow me to explain. I am by no means saying that you should go around humming ‘Joy to the World’ in the blazing August heat or to put up a tree for St. Patrick’s Day. But it’s no secret that from Thanksgiving through the 25th of December, we are far more willing to help our fellow man. Christmas is a season of kindness, which is something I believe our world could do with a lot more of. We should spread infectious happiness to others all the time. We should hold open doors, donate to charity, call up a relative you don’t have the opportunity to see much, walk with a skip in your step, and partake in those holiday behaviors all year round.

When you skeptically ask, “What’s with the Christmas Pandora playing in your car?”, don’t scoff at me so quickly. It isn’t the commercialization or gift-giving that gets me excited for December. It is the generosity and love that is present among everyone that makes my heart genuinely happy. The mere thought of how joyful it will be when the entire town seems ready to give back to one another is enough to make my world a little bit brighter when everything that goes wrong around me tries to bring me down.

So when that wonderful time of year finally rolls around again, I’ll join the throngs of people singing carols and baking cookies. But until then, I’ll be content with my little bit of Christmas right now, and living with that spirit of love 365 days a year.