Ho, ho, ho! Christmas came early for me! I received my first gift! No this isn't going to be an annoying post about how Aurélien presented with some super thoughtful gift to kick off the season, that I will be presented with a special gift everyday until the 25th, and that my life is just perfect. No. We actually don't exchange gifts. This first gift isn't tangible. And it came unexpectedly from little Thomas and Franck.
Last Thursday, after collecting them from school, the little guys were all atwitter about having seen me the night before with Père Noël. Me with Santa? What were they talking about? I haven't seen him in years.
Ignoring the fact that they're four, I pressed them for more details, expecting a coherent and plausible response. (You'd think I had no experience with kids.) But because they are four, I was only offered this vague idea that I was with Santa Claus in their living room and I was very happy. Since they were both firmly attesting to it, I knew it could not have been a dream, but I was going to have to wait for the parents to come home to explain.
Careful not to forget, in purple marker I jotted down on my hand "me, Santa, why, how, ask" which invited your garden-variety of kid questions.
7 pm arrived and the parents walked in. How could I ask this without sounding completely insane? I asked myself. Also not wanting to to come across strangely eager, I breezily asked if par hasard they heard any news about, you know, me and Père Noël. Much to my joy, they actually had an answer for me!
The parents said that the kids saw this which elicted my name to be chanted:
Just like when I used to think Mick Jagger was my dad and my grandfather was Frank Sinatra, my little French ones think I'm a young Mariah Carey (who in my opinion appears to be completely drunk) in the "All I Want For Christmas Is You" video. God bless them. And merry Christmas to me.
