So, let me tell you about my new friend Jonathan. He is studying in a foreign country, far away from the daily reminders of family, but his Dad is still very much on his mind. He lost his Dad not long ago, at a too-young age (from my nearly 60 years, it was far too young), in part from effects of kidney disease.

When I asked my Secret Santa to make a donation to a cause he cared about this year, Jonathan thought of his Dad, and probably the holidays, and he helped to support the American Kidney Fund, so someone, someday, can keep their Dad longer.

(Oddly enough, my Mom had kidney cancer, and she spent the last 30 years of her life with only one kidney. So I felt a kinship there - a connection.)

But Jonathan didn't just donate to a cause he cared about. He also made a donation to the ALS Association, because he knew it mattered to me. My own Dad died in 1988, when he was 5 years younger than I am now, of ALS. And in April, my younger sister died, a victim of a related neuro-degenerative disease.

So this season, won't you join Jonathan and me, as we raise the wassail cup in memory of some very special people - and hope that the donations by those who love them can help make a difference?

Thank you, Jonathan, my friend. May this be a time of loving and light for you.