Dear Younger Fred…you didn't realize how much you wanted to fit in...
When you were younger, you and your brother just wanted to belong.
At school.
In your community.
And yes… even at Christmas.
You didn't have the language for it back then —
but fitting in mattered more than you knew.
You remember learning at school that Christmas meant a tree.
That a tree meant presents.
And that presents somehow meant you were doing okay.
You still remember the first Christmas tree your parents ever put up.
Christmas morning came with a few gifts —
ones you genuinely appreciated.
But you also remember something else.
There were boxes under the tree that looked full…
wrapped carefully…
placed intentionally.
Later, you realized they were empty.
They weren't there to deceive anyone maliciously —
they were there to create an image.
To project "we're okay" when company came over.
To fit in.
And it stayed with you.
Because as you grew older, you started to see it everywhere —
including in yourself.
We wrap things up.
We curate appearances.
We try to look successful, confident, secure…
even when we're unsure, anxious, or tired.
And with that image comes pressure.
Insecurity.
A quiet fear of not being enough.
But one day, something shifts.
You realize that everything you were trying to display…
was never missing in the first place.
The love you were chasing.
The confidence you were borrowing.
The validation you hoped others would give you.
It was already there.
Not in boxes.
Not in appearances.
Not in what people see.
But within.
And that's when Christmas starts to feel different.
Less about impressing.
Less about proving.
Less about what's under the tree.
And more about what you give freely.
Your time.
Your presence.
Your attention.
Because those are the gifts people actually remember.
So this holiday season, my hope for you is simple:
Good health, always.
But more than that —
give the gift of your time to the people you love.
Friends.
Family.
Those who know the real you.
In my opinion…
that's the only gift that truly lasts.
Merry Christmas.
Baaaam. That's it for today.
Stay curious,
Fred
