Burn your house down? Well, not literally. But imagine you were out for the evening and your house burnt down over Christmas. No one was hurt but you’ve lost all your material possessions. What are you devastated to lose? What is irreplaceable? Why? This is an interesting exercise to establish if the ‘things’ that we think are so important really are.

What most people report is that people are the most important priority in their  life. So today try this exercise. Research has shown that writing a testimonial or letter thanking a teacher, friend or grandparent and then visiting them to read them the letter, will not only make them feel fantastic, it’s scientifically proven to make you feel happier too. Research shows that people who do this once are measurably happier and less depressed one month later. Instead of churning out Christmas cards, why not write a letter to the people who have inspired you and helped you throughout your life? Or just write that little bit extra in your Christmas cards and tell people exactly why you love and value them?