Merry Christmas!

A recent, French-speaking guest spent the final five minutes of his visit ranting against the generic "happy holidays" that has everyone on their best behavior. But here he was, a Christian among same, and he resorted to, reverted to, recovered the long-lost phrase, "Merry Christmas!" It's that time of the season. But this blog is not about him. It's about....

Rhiannon has been counting down the days with her secular advent calendar. Every morning she asks, "which number will we open today?" She remembers what we have opened, and which chocolates have been hidden behind the door in Santa's gut, or little Timmy's megalocephalic dome. She wonders every night if Santa is coming over. On December 1, she said she wanted to sit and wait up for him. Knowing her energy, she probably could have.

She has been out Christmas shopping with the parental units almost every day this past week. We went to the movie store and she quickly found her way to the "little kids" section where she started pulling DVDs off the shelves, shouting, "maybe Santa will get me one of these!" Scooby Doo meets Batman, Barbie, and a late Olsen Twins movie, something for dad! If only they were the late Olsen Twins, the world would be somehow less saccharine, more gritty. Exactly what we need right now.

Rhiannon has seen Santa twice so far this year (not even close to the five lap-sittings she counted coup on last year): once at the library and once at the Racine Mall, on the Saturday afternoon a week before Christmas, with 27 other children, their parents, grandparents, and assorted presents. Rhiannon has asked these Santas for the following gifts, in no particular order: Lucky Ducks (as opposed to the teen-oriented console game, Dead Ducks, or the politically themed Lame Ducks, or the NHL-driven Mighty Ducks, I'll stop now), Band-Aid bubble gum, "Barbie stuff", Anaksenamun make-up (from the Mummy), other "mummy stuff", Polly Pockets, "Ariel stuff". Not so big on movies and books like last year, but she might be taking these as a given.

We even got a toy to donate to needy children. Rhiannon said that we should "give it to the neighbors". Hmmm....Conscientously cute.

Andrew (papa)