With money and time in short supply, you might turn to the mighty pen for a no-cost memorable gift.  Preparing for a "Gift of Writing" workshop I'm conducting this Saturday, I bumped into some amazing ideas for custom-made hand-written gifts that don't require the skills of a great American novelist. To mention a few:
 
·         Book your memories.  Take random memories of your times with the recipient and write them up in a small blank journal.
·         Make lists of qualities you admire about the recipient or buzz words that will bring times together back to mind.
·         Write a short poem and frame it or, if you're no poet, find a poem especially suitable for the recipient and frame that.
·         Make a recipe book.  Compile a family recipe book, coupled with anecdotes that go with each one.
·         Write an old-fashioned letter. Who gets these anymore?  Write one by hand, conveying holiday greetings and a few memories.  Chances are, it will be the most cherished gift of the season. 

 

Click here to find out how the stairs became a lot more fun in a Stockholm subway station, where the staircase was made to look like giant piano keys that actually play.  It's a testimony to how fun can change our behavior for the better.