1. The Best Gift of All
I was looking over the collection of greeting cards I
have received over the years. All of them I treasure
for one reason or another; one of them I truly
cherish. It is from a friend who is very like me – in
some ways. We both enjoy solitude, and can sit
together companionably, reading, without having to
interrupt or be entertained by the other.
In other ways, such as tastes and lifestyle, we couldn’t be farther apart. I love dress-up
events in posh places, such as theaters and fancy hotels. She loves spiritual get-togethers with
incense and candlelight. I look buttoned-down and Vogue; she looks mystical and other-
worldly. Heck, I am a recovering chocaholic, a taste she infrequently indulges in. We may at
times resemble the odd couple when we go places together, but we are friends, and have been for
a long time.
The card that I cherish (and look at frequently) shows a delightful fantasy world, with
princesses in pointed caps, a unicorn dipping its horn in a stream, and rabbits dressed in livery
and tooting ceremonial bugles while doing balletic leaps in the air, all depicted against a
background featuring a large rainbow. (Well, ok, you have to see it, but trust me, it represents
my inner world.) The wonder is that she knew this when she saw it and sent it to me.
It took me a few years of gazing at this card to recognize a truth: She knows who I am, and
she likes me for it!
How often do we give gifts that we think would complete our fantasy of the other person: an
item of clothing a little more upscale or flattering (in our opinion) than the other person would
have chosen, for example. A gift that is a little hint, a nudge in what we believe is the right
direction.
How much more difficult it can be to honor the real person, but how rewarding.
In these financially difficult times, the best gift of all can be within your budget. It doesn’t
have to be a fancy object. How about a card offering to take the person to an event you know he
or she would love, but you would not? You might ordinarily be bored to tears by a poetry
reading, for example, but you would be generously sharing your time – and finding out more
about that person than you knew beforehand. Or you could offer to perform some task that would
be very helpful but difficult for the recipient to do.

2. It doesn’t even have to be the “right” card; one with just the right sentiment. A home-made
one will do just fine to express your feelings, as kindergarteners everywhere know.
Your gift could simply be words of appreciation that you realize you have thought for years but
have never put on paper or released into the atmosphere. Christmas couldn’t be a better time
to do so.
Lynette Crane, M.A.(Psychology) and Certified Life Coach, has more than 30 years' experience
in the field of stress management. She currently works to provide stress and time pressure
solutions to harried women, those women who seek "Islands of Peace" in their overly-busy lives.
Visit her website at http://www.creativelifechanges.com/ to see more in-depth articles and to
view her programs.