Season’s Greetings! It’s the festive time of year again for (more) good will and good cheer.

I’ve always felt more reflective near the end of the year, it seems a time for me to reflect and review on the year before and plan ahead for the year to come.

And when it comes to buying gifts for friends and family, I prefer to eschew buying widgets. I like to take advantage of the season to give something a little more personal to the people dear to me.

Here’s something you and I can do to give someone a magical Christmas, a gift that comes from the heart instead of a store. It’s something easy to do and only takes a few moments.

Write someone a Christmas letter, card, or email and in that letter include the completion of this sentence:

Who you are making a difference to me because…

And write down how this person is making a difference in your life.

The above line comes from one of the stories in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, but I’m not sure which as I haven’t read it. The practice was handed down to my mentors, Adam and Stuart, and now I pass it on to you.

Variations and other things to include in your letter are:

I appreciate you for…

I want to thank you for…

I’ve always admired you for…

I’ve really liked that time we…(mention something done this year).

I feel we don’t nearly tell enough the people we love how important they are to us and why, and the little quirks and strengths they possess that endear them to us. It only takes a few minutes to let them know, but it can make the biggest difference.

And seeing that it’s only 7 days away from Christmas (minus the time it takes to post a letter!) the best time to start writing is now!