Dear Santa:
I give up. Christmas is starting much earlier than I think is reasonable, but I can't seem to fight commercialism. I noticed that your house was up in Mayfair by November 1st. I was almost expecting Tom Turkey to rent it out for a couple of weeks, but thankfully that didn't happen.

Anyway, since I can't stop the ebb and flow of holiday merchandising, I may as well just embrace it and jump head first into the season like everyone else. However, I have a few requests this year. Can you find it in your heart to give us Tosa grown-ups some treats under our Christmas tree? Here are a few suggestions:

The gift of patience. Even if we're quasi-Martha Stewarts, at some point during the next 40 days, we're going to shop. Help us take a deep breath and know that everything will take just a little longer and we should leave the attitude in the car.

The gift of kindness. Again with the shoppers - there will be a lot of us out there. We'll be hustling and bustling and our packages will be jostling. Give us the ability to step aside for a mom with kids, hold a door for someone carrying several packages, or let a car merge in front of us as we're battling traffic.

The gift of big things from small places. When we're out shopping, encourage us to find the small Tosa stores that help make our village so great, such as Jilly & George, Anthilia, Juxt Home & Baby or The Underwood Gallery.

The gift of good friends and family. Help us to remember that the special people in our lives are more important than anything that can be bought in a store. And since food, family and friends go together so well, maybe we'll think about visiting the new Enoteca, the tried and true Hector's or sharing a pizza from Balistreri's with those we love.

Oh and be careful when you visit our beautiful old Tosa homes. Some of those fireplaces get a good workout this time of year and that red suit might need an extra dry cleaning.

Thanks Santa!
Love,
Karen