December 2025 – By Michelle Hedrich, Retired, Nonprofit Executive

The holiday season invites us to think about giving—beautifully wrapped boxes, meaningful gestures, and shared moments. But there’s a deeper kind of giving that often goes unrecognized: the gifts we offer that remain with us, even as we share them with others.

These are the gifts that come from within.

Your innate gifts—your kindness, creativity, insight, and presence are unique offerings that uplift those around you. But they also nourish you. When you express your natural talents, you feel more alive, more aligned, more you. That joy is not accidental; it’s affirmation.

It’s surprisingly easy to overlook your own gifts. We often assume that what comes naturally to us must be easy for everyone.

“Doesn’t everyone think like this?”
“Isn’t this just normal?”

Usually, the answer is no. What feels effortless to you might be extraordinary to someone else.

This is where self-awareness of your gifts becomes a powerful tool.  Understanding your motivations—what energizes you, what lights you up—reveals the underlying gifts you’ve been carrying all along. Likewise, recognizing your cultural identity and the strengths it has shaped helps you see the richness of what you offer.

In a season overflowing with expectations and to-dos, here’s a simple compass: If it fills you with joy, that’s your sign. That’s the affirmation of your gifts.

Affirmation is more than a pep talk.  It’s the practice of strengthening your self-perception through positive, intentional self-talk.  When you articulate your worth—out loud or internally—you build an inner foundation that no circumstance can shake. You create your own validation. You become your own source of confidence.

Energy flows from knowing you have something uniquely valuable to offer. When you understand your gifts, you become empowered to share them generously, authentically, and without hesitation.

Affirming yourself sounds like this: I know who I am. I know what I bring. I’ve got this.

And as that truth settles in, stress begins to melt away. The pressure to be “enough” fades, because you finally see—perhaps for the first time—that you already are.

This Season, Give the Gift of You

In this month of giving, remember that the most meaningful gifts aren’t things. They’re the unique strengths, talents, and energies that only you can offer.

Share them boldly.  Affirm them daily.  And let the joy they bring you be the proof that they are gifts worth giving.

Don’t worry. Be at ease. You’ve got this—and you always have.