Joyeuses Fetes!

We’re on last minute wrapping duty… Jake can’t get to sleep and Steve and I are trying to hide our present-wrapping activities. However, this is not easy with three excited dogs.

Steve just went in Jake’s room to retrieve the sellotape (it’s been requisitioned by the boy for the purpose of making guns) and said “There’s a fat man in a red suit at the door wanting the sellotape.”

“What?” says Jake.

“There’s a FAT MAN at the DOOR in a RED SUIT wanting to borrow the sellotape.”

“What? And you’re just going to give it to him?”

Obviously sleepy. Mind you, I’m so gullible, I’d have said the same thing. On a similar note, I was talking about Père Noël with Aurore, one of my little students. She’s 8 years old and just adorable. I think she’s wonderful.

“Do you believe in Père Noël?” she asked.

“Yes!” I said. You don’t want to upset the philosophical balance in a household with children. It’s tantamount to fire-bombing them during Christmas dinner.

She leaned over to me and whispered: “He isn’t real, you know!” she said. “It’s just your maman and papa!”

“No!” I said, looking disbelieving.

“Yes. You aren’t upset now you know?”

Aurore looked genuinely concerned as if she’d just broken my heart. She put her hand on mine, nodded over to her little brother and said, “But don’t worry, Clement still believes as well and he gets lots more presents!”

Sometimes, kids are cuter than animals. But when Tilly Flop rolls on her back and does air-kicks, it’s still pretty special.

Merry Christmas to everyone – have a wonderful day!