Some good news to brighten your day – literally.  After Dec. 8, the sun has been setting later, and sunsets will get progressively later until next June. Regarding overall daylight, however, the days will continue to grow shorter. That’s because the sun is also rising later each day, and the daily change in sunrise time is greater than the change in sunset time – until the winter solstice, Dec. 21, the “shortest” day.  (The latest sunrise occurs on Jan. 4.)

Most people lament the short days of December because of the bleak, early darkness. So merely knowing that after Dec. 8 it’s going to get dark later should produce some optimism, even though the changes in sunset times are small, at first.

For some people, however, the short days produce more than just disappointment or dislike. There is a mood disorder diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) caused by the excess of darkness over light in winter. The symptoms can include depression, sleep and appetite problems, loss of interest in activities, and more. Treatment includes certain medications, light therapy, and other modalities.

SAD afflicts an estimated 5% of the US population, ranging from 1.4% in Florida to 9.9% in Alaska. There is no surprise in that differential, given the disparity in the amount of sunlight each of those states receives. But what is surprising to some is that about 10% of those with SAD have it in reverse. They get depressed in the summer with the long hours of daylight and warm temperatures. Presumably, they are at their happiest during these December days. Perhaps they should consider wintering in Alaska and summering in Antarctica. (The southern hemisphere has winter when we have summer, and vice versa.)

I would speculate, however, that if the Summer SADs try to regale their friends with how nice it is that it gets dark so early and there is so little daylight, they might not only get disagreement and funny looks, but anger.  People don’t like it when you are contrarian to their emotional state regarding the weather.

I can speak to this personally. I’ve never been ecstatic about very bright sunny days, preferring some clouds to soften the stark blaze of the sun. When I was doing a radio talk show and would very occasionally mention that preference, listeners would take umbrage and call in, angry with what I said, as if my expressing an interest in cloud cover was going to cause more clouds to come in and degrade their sunshine. Of course, I wish I had such meteorological influence. I could have charged fees for moving clouds in and out.

But we mortals, despite our hubris, have no influence on the motions of heavenly bodies.  So let us simply acknowledge and appreciate the occasional beneficence, as in the sun setting later right in the middle of the Christmas season. I propose a toast to our earth’s orbit and our solar benefactor. In this divided nation, maybe that’s one toast we can all share.

Avi Nelson is a Boston-based political analyst and talk-show host.