I’m an optimist – and generally a pretty positive person – but the gloom of early winter gets to me. Sometimes the dark and cold sneak their way into my brain and leave me feeling totally zapped. Those days, I feel like I could just melt into the upholstery of my sofa.

That’s part of why I love Christmas so much. It’s a big, tinsel-covered excuse for celebration in the middle of the crummiest season. It cures most of my ailments:

• Getting poor? Put what you need on your Christmas list!
• Need a drink? Cure the doldrums with mulled wine!
• Working too hard? Don’t worry, vacation is coming!
• Want chocolate? Have one of ten billion holiday cookies on your counter!
• Feeling glum? Try singing Deck the Halls five times!
• Dark out? Switch on the Christmas lights!

Twinkle lights

Mustachioed wine

Chocolate advent calendar from mom

But it’s not just the gifts, treats, and warm spiced beverages. Christmas lifts me up because of the way people come together. Friends clink glasses, couples watch old movies, families play board games, and organizations work to help their communities. Here are some examples from my life these past few weeks:

Eating sushi made with love by my friends Joël and Danielle

Listening to uncle Louis and his family perform at First Light

Making cookies with JF

Work has felt particularly Christmassy this year. Every department at Georgian is doing something to make a difference. There are coat collections, mitten trees, toy drives, and silent auctions at every corner.

Last week, a dear co-worker met a student in the hallway who was bawling because some inconsiderate movers had bailed on her. She was out of money and short on friends. My boss rallied some of my (bigger, stronger, healthier) colleagues and a few hours of heavy lifting later, the student was settled into her new apartment. It was kindness as its simplest and best.

So as December chugs along, I’m resolving to be kind too. To myself, JF, those I love, the people I meet, and my community as a whole. It’s my cure for slush, wind and ice.