The Christmas season has begun. In our house, there’s no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. But as soon as the turkey is gone, it’s Christmas all day, every day.

One of our favorite traditions as a family is ringing the bell at Broulim’s in Shelley to raise money for the food pantry. Sometimes all the kids come, sometimes the teenagers mysteriously get busy, but we always end up singing carols, waving to neighbors and feeling the joy that only comes from serving together.

Every year, I’m blown away by the generosity of the people in our community. A few bills in the kettle. A handful of change from a child. Folks who give quietly, cheerfully and consistently. America truly is one of the most generous nations in the world.

According to an article in the Deseret News, in 2023, Americans donated roughly $557 billion to charity. Nearly two-thirds of that came from individual donors — not foundations, not corporations — regular families doing their best to help someone else. America donates seven times more per capita than many of our European counterparts. Middle-income donors give an average of $3,296 a year, and those making under $50,000 “donate at higher rates than all other income levels, short the highest earners.” And on the opposite end, people like Michael Bloomberg gave more than $3 individually. It’s a remarkable picture: generosity from every income level, in every corner of the country.

And December is the most important month of all. Some nonprofit studies show that up to 30% of all annual donations come in during December, and nearly 10% come in during the final three days of the year. For many local charities, December isn’t just a month of giving; it’s the month that determines whether they can meet the needs of the coming year.

And those needs are real. As tight as things may feel for many of us, they are far tighter for those who don’t know where next week’s groceries are coming from, or whose heat has been shut off, or who are shouldering a struggle we may never see. Giving matters because someone out there needs it.

But here’s something else I hope we remember: Giving doesn’t just help others — it helps us. A 2023 article from Harvard Medicine titled “The Health Benefits of Kindness” explained what happens in the body when we serve or give. It notes that dopamine — the brain’s natural reward chemical — is released when we perform acts of kindness. The article quotes nonprofit leader Allan Luks, who recorded what volunteers felt during service: “It makes you explode with energy,” one person told him. Others described “a relaxation of muscles that I didn’t even realize had been tensed” and a “euphoric feeling of being zapped by an energy bolt.” Luks famously called this the “helper’s high.”

Who wouldn’t want more of that in their life? Being zapped by an energy bolt? Sounds awesome.

So here is my simple invitation: Do something this December. Drop a few dollars into a kettle. Donate a bag of groceries. Help a neighbor. Volunteer through JustServe.org. Sit with someone who’s lonely. Call someone who needs encouragement. Give whatever you can — time, money or attention.

Not because it’s expected. Not because it’s the holidays. But because generosity is one of the surest ways to bring light into someone else’s life — and, almost always, into your own.