My boss has this practice and he encourages us to practice each year, too. It’s based on the book One Word That Will Change Your Life. In short, it challenges us to select a word that will become a guiding principle throughout the coming year. He’s chosen his words, and thus words for our company, like “invest,” “strengthen,” “sprout,” “flourish,” and “invest.” I’ve chosen words like “play” and “create.” But honestly, I have not practiced this one-word thing every year.

We’ve been getting Christmas cards in the mail, offering Christmas wishes from people we love. Friends and family expressing their thoughtfulness as Christmas approaches. 

My family used to send cards. The key part of that sentence: used to. I’m not sure why we stopped, but I can speculate: we’re too busy.