Here are ten great, innovative ideas for your holiday season. They are not expensive, you can find them almost anywhere, and they will be remembered long after the holidays are only a fond memory. (For the ones that are very hard to please!)

The first great gift is the gift of generosity — giving of yourself. Especially during the holidays when we rush around doing all the things that need to be done, taking a little time out of our hectic schedule to spend a few minutes with someone alone or less fortunate is a gift that will not only help another immensely, but will help the giver at very deep levels. Can you remember a time when you were all alone with no one to talk to, and no one cared? It’s a devastating feeling. A little attention is the generosity that costs you nothing but some time, and will make all the difference to someone alone at this time of year.

The second innovative gift is virtue, which means decency or agreeable behavior. It doesn’t take that much to be decent, especially during this wonderful season, regardless of whether those we meet are of a different color, religion, culture, or idealism. We are all part of humanity, we all have the same wants and needs, and being open will invite others to be open to us as well.

The third is not allowing negative feelings such as greed and frustration to take over our lives at this time of the year. Wanting everything to be perfect puts strains on everyone, be it the clerk at the department store, our friends, or even our loved ones. Calming down our wants calms down our frustration, and when we aren’t frustrated, real love has a chance to bubble up. And real love is what we really want anyway!

The fourth great gift idea is understanding or wisdom. This requires us to reflect on exactly what we are doing. Are we so busy with our own stuff that we can’t see the real needs of others? Perhaps a kind touch or a smile means more than an expensive gift that is just a thing that will be quickly used up.

The fifth is vigor and attentiveness. When we direct our attention to others — really be attentive to others, we discover what they need for Christmas, and it’s not something you can quickly buy in a store; it’s how you are.

The sixth huge idea is broadmindedness. This means that during this holy season we relax our political, religious, and cultural differences and take in humanity in its broadest terms, and see how all of humanity seeks happiness. For a few weeks, we reject the competitiveness and hatefulness that troubles our souls the rest of the year. We drive sensibly and cautiously, allowing people caught up in the hustle and bustle to cut in front of us and hang on our rear bumpers without anger bubbling up. We’ll catch them at the next light anyway, and who knows; they might have a legitimate emergency. Let’s be broadminded and pretend that they are all doctors on the way to the emergency room!

The seventh great gift is honesty and truthfulness. There is no room for deceit or lies during this special time of the year. All of our loved ones should be confident that we will only be truthful, and we know that when we only tell the truth, we can’t help but become responsible. And becoming responsible is a gift we give ourselves.

The eighth best, inexpensive gift is resolve. We resolve ourselves to make this the best, kindest, most sensitive Christmas ever.

The ninth gift that you can give a loved one is loving-kindness. Nothing says more than the ultimate gift of love and compassion. Money can’t touch it, and poverty can’t deny it. Whether you are poor or wealthy this Christmas season, the true gift of a love that you give others will be returned ten times over.

And the tenth gift, a very important one these days, is peacefulness — peacefulness with all of our brothers and sisters, here and abroad. For just a little while, we forgive all our trespasses, and forgive those who have trespassed against us. There will be plenty of time to hate later. The only problem is, hatred breeds more hatred, but only peace breeds love.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men