I love counting down. In fact where I work, there are many people who are so use to me knowing how far it is away, that they will stop and ask... "Chris, how long till Christmas?" Of course keeping it in my heart all year long certainly helps. Already thinking about the outside decorations and will be going through the interior decorations at the end of August. It makes it a lot easier for me to get it squared away (hey, I'm retired military) quickly.
As an added bonus, it lets the child come out a little earlier.