Gareth O'Callaghan: A Christmas letter to my 10-year-old self about curiosity, kindness and growing up

A reflective Christmas message across generations, exploring childhood wonder, hard-earned wisdom and the lessons that endure with time

For years I’ve been collecting quotes from well-known people who have changed our world for the better. File photo: Zoe/zefa/Corbis

This is a Christmas message to a 10-year-old boy who bears my name and carries my heart and soul. He is the younger version of who I have become. He doesn’t know it but I am his future — the consequences of all his decisions and actions. 

It's the aftermath of Christmas, 1971. Santa has been kind. He brought you all you asked for in your letter: the Beano annual, the Guinness Book of Records, Enid Blyton’s Three Cheers, Secret Seven, and a selection box. Back then, it felt like a hoard of gifts, for which you were humbled and grateful.