TOPAZ HORIZON

Five days to go before Christmas! I've already got all that I need so for this year, I just asked people to give me pretty notebooks, pens and picture frames. But if money were no object and excess were something to be fond of, these would be nice:

• The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, illustrated edition
• Nina Garcia's The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own
• Jamie at Home cookbook
• any cookbook by Ina Garten
• an entire two days in the National Gallery in London. The museum is free, but accommodation in this expensive city is not!
• a week touring the Louvre, another week just people watching in Paris, another week in the French countryside, then the last week at Cote d'Azur
• go to all the Disneylands! Yes, it is now a silly life goal.

• good tickets to Lion King in West End. Argh, I've always wanted to see this musical!
• see the Scottish highlands. I'm not a beach person; I like lonely mountains and since I was very little, photos of the mysterious mountains and lochs of Scotland have always called to my soul.
• go to Milan, Florence and Venice--the birthplaces of the Renaissance. I studied Renaissance art in college. When I went to the National Gallery and saw the paintings, I really cried. I was so overwhelmed!

• any of the amazing Bea Valdes bags, especially the very dark Edward bag. These bags are the most incredibly detailed wonders I've ever seen. Small wonder they cost a small fortune each.
• Chloe wide-strap boots. I talked about this this summer. I still want them!
• a Chanel suit. Just because. And I want to be buried in one!

• Alice Blue candles
• a reading chair in soft buttery leather, perhaps in Tiffany blue or baby pink
• personalized stationery in dove gray or pale pink
• leather-bound journals
• fountain pens
• Nars blush in Orgasm
• red velvet cake from Karen's Kitchen
• a lifelong subscription to InStyle and Entertainment Weekly magazines!

Yes, I know some of the stuff listed aren't that expensive. But they're unnecessary. Oh, how I hate that word when it comes to describing things I want. Still, it's good to dream and perhaps some kind soul would send me a lovely thing or two and make my Christmas all the merrier!