I used to be a holiday purist. The holidays were in a line and each holiday deserved its due. Halloween costumes on sale when it was barely October? Christmas music with my coffee before we’d even had our Thanksgiving turkey? It used to drive me nuts!

Last year, I barely noticed I was humming along to "Sleigh Bells" before we’d finished November. It’s a song I really like and it felt good to have something cheery going on when nearly every bit of news was about something dire. Fast forward to this year. If ever there were a year in which good news was needed, it’s this year.

The euro is teetering near the tipping point. A visit to Beijing is taking on the cachet of a weekend in Paris. Our local officials are on their way to drum up some business with India. So many things that affect our daily lives are removed from our sphere of influence. It’s difficult not to feel a bit discombobulated.

Of course, we do have our government officials right here in Washington. You know the ones. The ones who cannot agree on a single thing other than that they cannot agree on a single thing. Way to go, guys. You are a model for the nations.

And here we are at holiday time again. Approaching what could, and by all calculation should, be a cheerless holiday season and yet — it doesn’t feel cheerless at all. Maybe it was the turnout for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Whatever-whatever Monday and Who-Knows-What Tuesday. Maybe it’s just that those silly names impart a sense that something special is about to happen. Or maybe they just serve to remind us to have a collective sense of humor to go with the unrelentingly bad economic news.

Either way, we’re officially here at the start of the holiday season. My neighbors from around the world are looking forward to their traditions, as we are looking forward to ours. Often we’re fortunate enough to share it all with one another. And perhaps that’s the thing that makes me less focused on when things are supposed to happen. The more I learn about other cultures, the more I realize that nearly any time is a time for celebration.

Stores may be playing the music and displaying their merchandise earlier and earlier as a way of enticing me to spend more money, or to spend my money, sooner. They’re also reminding me that the holidays are on their way and we can choose to make them the best holidays yet or not.

It’s up to each of us.