Dear Family: I have made an important New Year's resolution. This is to inform you that I will not be able to afford an expensive nursing home which would allow me to die poor and very old.

The lovely Stefania whisked me away in her car and we were off to visit the quaint town of Ascona in the district of Locarno where we strolled along the promenade adjacent to beautiful Lake Maggiore. Along the way, we stopped at one of the charming cafes that dotted the path for a glass of wine. While enjoying our beverages, I admired the beauty of the surrounding buildings with their warm Mediterranean-style architecture.

I pulled into the crowded parking lot to do my Christmas shopping and rolled down the car windows to make sure my Labrador Retriever pup had fresh air. She was stretched full-out on the back seat and I wanted to impress upon her that she must remain there.

Here in the Yucatán we are most famous for our Mayan Culture and the way that this has been expressed through Archeology and Gastronomy. Chichen Itza was recognized as a wonder of the world by UNESCO in 2007 and is well worth visiting either during the day or at night.

For guitar enthusiasts who can't remember chords. And they are ideal for Christmas parties where someone has to play the guitar and only has his iPhone.

Jesus was wandering around Jerusalem when he decided that he really needed a new robe.

You never appreciate what you have till it's gone.

Are you still looking for that unique, even offbeat present? What about a book? Aaaah, but not just any book, the travel related books featured here are ones you’ll wish you’d known about before you read this article. In all my travels and in what I read, I always seek out the truly distinctive and out of the ordinary, and the following 4 books are in that category

Farm History. Family History. Artistry. Bursts of color. Tradition. Community. Creativity. So many different celebrations of life represented by the bountiful wooden quilts that majestically drape almost five dozen barn doors illuminating the landscape of Tualatin Valley (Twal’ i-tin), Oregon (Oar’-i-gun) – yes, the semantics DO make a difference (at least locally…). The combination of personal history and rural tradition that find voice in these quilt blocks brings to life customs, folklore and artistic expression reminiscent of the whole Valley.

Mamoru Oshii's feature-length Ghost in the Shell beckons for relevance: Original title was Kôkaku Kidôtai (Man-Machine Interface) — my own computer battleground in the past two weeks!