This is the time for exchanging best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. One asks, how genuine are these wishes of wealth, happiness and good fortune? 

Stop a moment and think about your relatives and friends. Wish them happiness from the bottom of your heart. To care for others is the key to your wellbeing. When we show others love and care, we will bring greater peace, harmony and significance into our lives. 

We can start by practicing what we preach with those who are nearest to us, our family members – and see what happens. We can then, little by little, extend these acts to all those whose lives touch ours. This will take time but it will be to our benefit.  We will find that many of our problems, such as our anger, jealousy and selfish behaviour, will disappear and our minds will be calmer and more serene.  

The comedian and actor, Wanda Sykes, said that “if there is something you should be doing, if you have a passion for it, stop wishing it and do it”. I can’t not agree with this quote and I hazard to say that wishes are not in vain. After I reread what Sykes said, I realised that first and foremost we need to have that wish – and the enthusiasm to make it happen. 

A wish is the foundation of action. When, in our lives, we wish for something that we really need, we turn the wish into action. When we wish we want. And when we want we are motivated to do. 

That is why we need wishes. We need them to motivate us to act. We need them to define who we are and what we want out of life and from those around us. 

The mind that cares for others and expresses good wishes is a precious mind – a rarity in our society. 

I wish you a Happy Christmas that only Baby Jesus can give.