Apologies for this semi-commercial interruption. I've received a few weekly periodicals this week with their holiday gift guides, but none contained as cool an idea as this. You can commission a personal song portrait for someone you love by one of the finest songwriters around, Stew.

I commissioned a song from Stew and it turned out to be one of the most meaningful, intimate gifts that I've ever given. The song he writes is definitely not "off-the-rack, fill in some blanks." The song is really written with you and the portrait subject in mind, filled with personal references, and Stew's signature perfectly crafted pop-tunes, deft wordplay and emotionally insightful lyrics. Stew says that he only writes portraits that he would be comfortable releasing on an album, and from an artist whose records have been picked as Album of the Year from Entertainment Weekly, and who the Village Voice has called perhaps "America's best songwriter," that makes for quite a priceless gift. And (with your permission) there is even a chance that your song may make it onto a future album of his song portraits (I'm hoping ours will - it's really good!)

Check out the NPR profile on Stew and his song portraits.

	"Musical portraits such as this aren't confined to Stew's most recent album, or limited to the people in his life. Send him 20 facts about yourself, or someone else, and for a price Stew will write a song. Think of it as a heirloom, from Stew, to you"
	– NPR