January marks the start of a new year—and for the past sixteen years, my friend Carol
Shwidock and I have shared a tradition that has become one of the most meaningful parts of
our lives: a new year letter exchange.
Between December and February, each of us writes a letter of inspiration to ourselves. We set
an intention for the coming year, along with a single word or phrase that captures its essence.
We seal and stamp the envelope, tuck it inside another, and mail it to each other—trusting the
other to keep it safe until it’s time to send back, any time after Thanksgiving.
We never talk about when it’s coming, but we always know. And when it arrives, it feels like a
treasured gift—filled with love, hope, and wisdom from a former version of ourselves.
Opening the letter has become a ritual of its own. I often light a candle, play favorite music, and
reread last year’s letter first. Later, Carol and I share how the experience felt—how the year
unfolded in ways both unexpected and true to our intentions.
This exchange has carried us through loss and love, aging and hope, fear and renewal. Some
years I rush to finish by Valentine’s Day; other years I take my time, adding drawings or small
pieces of art.
After sixteen years, these letters have become the story of our lives—intimate, transformative
milestones that remind us who we are, and who we’re still becoming.