When you grow up in England, breakfast is an event. Not in the, “Let’s do breakfast!” way that I imagine West Coast movie types emptily holler at one another across busy studio lots, but as a deep-rooted part of our cultural makeup. Take, for example, the ‘Full English,’ a centuries-old national obsession with a symbolic breakfast table heaving with bacon, sausage, and smoked fish.

This is the busiest time of year for travel along the United States-Mexico border. Many Mexican shoppers head north and unload their wallets at American stores. Americans with family ties in Mexico travel south to visit relatives, sometimes carrying loads of presents. During this year's holiday season the Mexican government is making it easier for southbound traffic to enter the country.