Christmas Shopping in the Tropics.

I'm in the city and have a great big batch of requests from my little girl friends for Santa Claus to pick up. I wanted to share the lists:

6 yr old _ wants jewelry, teddy bears and artificial flowers.

6 yr old _ wants a doll, 2 erasers, 3 pencils, a 2nd grade textbook, a notebook, pretty clothing, panties and a toy

8 yr old _ wants a doll that says "mama", a casette of a local female singer, a book of children's stories, a pair of socks, any kind of pretty clothes, pencils, a notebook and an eraser, a fourth grade schoolbook, and underwear. She signs her note, "I love you very much."

9 yr old _ wants glitter for her face, jewelry, a music box, a teddy bear.
and a present for her mother´s birthday.

11 yr. old _ wants make-up, jewelry, a scarf, an address book, bracelets, earings and a teddy bear.

I think I might buy a bunch of Christmas lights to decorate the tree in the front yard for our Christmas Party. There is a bird nesting in the tree that everyone likes to watch from the balcony. Last year they all spent the night and fully clothed we all slept together on Christmas Eve. I filled the stockings at 3 AM and got everyone up for hot choclate and a big breakfast. Best Christmas ever...I still have the little goodies they made me.

So far, I got the 11 yr. old a "Floozy Suzie" teddy bear I picked up at the street market (tropical markets if you ever have been to one are a mix of just about everything, the Floozy Suzie is a regular cute teddy dressed with costume jewelry and red feathers). I refuse to buy her make-up, she is so pretty just the way she is. Last year I got her a real polargaurd filled pillow and she sleeps on a foam mattress I gave her. Her sister, who is too old for this column, wanted a bathing suit... too old for tropical customs LOL. I found one with a Betty Boop motif. I got a monkey teddy bear for 9 yr old. The jewelry is too expensive but I managed to find some glittery butterfly hair clips and some angel-bear-on-heart motif hair ties, and some hippies selling bracelets. After siesta I´ll hit the Saturday street market again, but Sunday is best.