In the spirit of Christmas cheer inspired by my father, I have created my own wish list for this holiday season.

When my father taught U.S. Hoystory at Santana High School, during the month of December he would write what he wanted for Christmas on the board -- encouraging his students to express their generosity. Among the items would often be listed a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible. Understanding that this was a bit expensive, he would suggest the students get together and pool their funds to make it happen.

Often the best he got was a Matchbox version of the car.

So, if you're a regular reader and are looking to contribute something, take a look at the wish list. There are some expensive items there (I would encourage the "wealthy billionaire" readers to purchase one of those -- the "poor billionaire" readers could buy a book). I also have those tip jars to the left if you're so inclined. Money put in the tip jar will help me purchase a condo here in expensive, but sunny, San Diego.

This has been the shameless banging of the tip jar for the month. We now return you to your regularly scheduled reading.