The pre-Christmas season will soon begin and with it the search for the right gifts. For some people this is extremely stressful. I love it! I really enjoy thinking about what I can surprise my loved ones with. Is there anything better than making another person happy?

My dears,

Have you already experienced that happiness is even more beautiful when it is shared?

There's nothing like the joy of your best friend, who is happy with you about your success. Or the sparkle in someone's eyes when you give them a nice gift. Wow!

For me, gifts are a wonderful way to express my appreciation and love. To let people in my personal life and also in my work life know: Hey you, I see you. You are important to me. It's great that you're there.

It may surprise you: Christmas gift-giving doesn't have a very long tradition. Until around 1900, nothing was given at Christmas. But the gift-giving ritual itself is very old. First, people primarily shared essentials, i.e. food and water, with each other and gave something to each other. And then they realized that gifts can be used to build and strengthen relationships. Receiving a nice gift from someone just feels great, doesn't it?

When a gift truly comes from the heart, it can be deeply touching. Of course you can do this without spending any money. Oh, how I love my children's self-painted birthday pictures!

Maybe you can make something? Are you writing a poem or composing a song? Or: You are giving away your attention, your time. Because: Time is the greatest gift you can give someone.

I would like to give you these gift ideas:

• Ask yourself regularly: Who can I give my time to today?
• Give away a little something this coming week to someone who absolutely wouldn't expect it.
• When was the last time you gave yourself a gift?
• Give the gift of yourself today by listening carefully to at least two people throughout the day.

You see: time is a very valuable gift in a world in which we have a lot. For me it is very important that we share this wealth. Maybe by volunteering. Or, if we have little time, by donating to charitable projects.

One of the greatest gifts for me is when I hear that my work inspires people. A woman once told me in tears that she was suffering from severe depression and was on the verge of taking her own life. But one of my programs gave her the courage to tackle and redesign her life.

Stories like this make me incredibly happy and grateful! Because I feel that my work has meaning. What I have always seen in it: sharing my happiness and encouraging people to believe in themselves and their dreams.

I really hope that everything I have achieved so far inspires you too.

And always remember: you are an incredible gift to this world!

Your Judith