Dear Santa Claus,

I’ve been dodging the question “What do you want for Christmas?” for over a month now. It’s a question that jumps out from around bushes while taking my afternoon walk and sneaks out from under the table at dinnertime. I’ve all but put my voice on auto-answer with “Nothing. I’m content without stuff.”

I know that people want to be able to walk into the mall and exchange a bit of plastic for an item that will make me smile on Christmas morning. They may even have a great idea for something I might enjoy. But the truth is that, the more I travel, the more I realize how little I actually need … or want.

So I’m writing to you today to apologize for not sending you a long laundry list of goods like I did when I was a kid. I remember those letters filled with extensive lists of book and CD titles and the oft-practical item like a pair of slippers or new hoodie sweatshirt. But times have changed, and so have I, so if you insist on dropping something off under my tree this year, I’d like to request the following five things:

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