It seems the holiday season is upon us once again and the flurry of activity associated with this time of year is in full swing.

When the thought of the season comes to mind, many of us think about the food, the decorations, the songs and, most importantly, the gifts.

Gifts come in many different shapes and sizes. Sometimes, gifts of the season don’t even come wrapped, but seem to be the most important gifts of all. Here is a story that reminds us of the season, and what it means to give.

“It is a small envelope set among the branches of the tree. It has no identification, no name and no inscription. It, however, has shown up every year for the past 10 years.

It all began because my husband Mike hated this time of year. It was the frantic running around that seemed to miss the true point of the holiday season.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual clothes and so forth. I was in search of something special, and the inspiration came in a most unusual way.

Our son was wrestling at the junior level, and shortly before Christmas he participated in a league match sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters were dressed in sneakers so ragged the shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together. They were in sharp contrast to our boys in spiffy sports attire.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see the other team wrestling without headgear. It seems, this was a luxury their team could not afford.

We ended up walloping them.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, ‘I wish just one of them could have won,’ he said. ‘They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.’

Mike loved kids — all kids — and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That is when the idea hit me.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling gear, and sent it anonymously to the inner city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed an envelope on the tree, the note inside explaining what I had done. That was Mike’s gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. This became a tradition in our house, and we all looked forwarded to the envelope on the tree.

Mike died of cancer a few years ago. However, when Christmas rolls around my envelope has since been joined by three more.”

This story reminds us of the importance of giving each and every day in our lives.

United American’s success is attributed to the dedication each of you have to all of your clients. Thank you all for your hard work and tremendous efforts.

We are looking forward to a long and continued partnership with all of our Agents and an outstanding year in 2003. May your holidays be happy, healthy and safe. From all of us to all of you, happy holidays!