Once upon a time, a man punished his five-year-old daughter for using up the family’s only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper before Christmas.

Money was tight, so he became even more upset when, on Christmas Eve, he saw that the child had used the expensive gold paper to decorate a large shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree...

Susan notes: This is one of my all time favourit Christmas stories, second only to The Little Match Girl. I believe in Santa Claus, magic, fairies, elves, angels, and dreams. How about you?

In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun; the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, the same year.

Babble.com publishers Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman, in a lively tag-team, expose four facts that parents never, ever admit -- and why they should. Funny and honest, for parents and nonparents alike.

Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman co-founded Babble, a website for parents. He’s the CEO, she’s the VP of sales strategy and brand development, and they have three sons.

Susan notes: "Goam" is the khaleeji word for tribe (and khaleej is the Arabic word for gulf; I've lived in the United Arab Emirates on the shores of the Arabian Gulf for 17 years). I learned the word goam from fellow twitter tribesmen @wildpeeta.

I belong to several goam or tribes, the members of which are scattered in all corners of the globe. These timely words from The Daily Om caused me to reflect on the importance of my tribes...

They are the people who accept me as I am, and gladly accompany me on my journeys of evolution and transformation. Thank you to all my tribe members near and far.

Part of being human is the search for an individual identity. Bound to this strong need to establish a unique persona, however, is an equally intense desire for acceptance. It is when we find our individual tribes that both are satisfied.

Our tribe members are those people who accept us as we are without reservation and gladly accompany us on our journeys of evolution.

Among them, we feel free to be our imperfect selves, to engage unabashedly in the activities we enjoy, and to express our vulnerabilities by relying on our tribe for support. We feel comfortable investing our time and energy in the members of our tribe, and are equally comfortable allowing them to invest their resources in our development.

The individuals who eventually become members of your unique tribe are out there in the wide world waiting for you. You are destined to find them, one by one, as you move through life. Sometimes your own efforts will put you in contact with your future tribe members. At other times, circumstances beyond your control will play a role in helping you connect with your tribe.

Life really boils down to 2 questions...

1. Should I get a dog?

or..