OK, so I was up a little later than usual last night, but I had an important job to do. It was an annual holiday gathering of kidlets at a friend's house in a well-decorated cul de sac neighborhood, the house well-appointed with decorations and foodstuffs. Close to 30 excited elementary school children flitting here and there while their parents were more firmly fixed in their respective locations, sipping on...uh, cokes.
Everytime the doorbell rang, one small group of children would greet the guests, while an adult would offer to put coats aside (believe it or not, it finally got cold enough for a coat!), and a couple of the children would scurry to the appointed 'gift' table with the incoming presents.
The highlight of this annual party is an ornament exchange between the children. But this is no ordinary exchange...
At the appointed time, all the children gathered around on the large family room floor, spreading out as best they could into a circle. They all made sure they had the ornament present they brought, all festively wrapped, in their little laps...and when all were quiet, I began my job as the official reader of "Auntie Claus", by Elise Primavera:
It's a wonderful holiday story about how a little girl, Sophie Kringle,
solves a bit of a mystery surrounding her Auntie Claus...as I began my animated reading of this cute story, every time the name "Auntie Claus" came up, I would pause while the children handed their gift to the person to their left. I'd read some more, then hit another "Auntie" and they would pass again.
Of course, I took great liberties with reading the story as I dislike ever being boring...and so we enjoyed our literary journey to the North Pole to discover why "Auntie Claus" (pass) went on a business trip every year from Halloween through Valentine's Day, leaving her New York penthouse empty and yet decorated for Christmas all year 'round. And when the final page was read, the children excitedly opened the package that ended up in their lap and got to see their new ornament. The sheer delight on their faces said it all, some running excitedly to their parents to show them their beautiful treasure, with the room in a make-shift blizzard of torn paper, bows, and tissue wads.
A good time was had by all...and I nigh lost my voice! Worth every ounce of effort and lost sleep, too.
Everytime the doorbell rang, one small group of children would greet the guests, while an adult would offer to put coats aside (believe it or not, it finally got cold enough for a coat!), and a couple of the children would scurry to the appointed 'gift' table with the incoming presents.
The highlight of this annual party is an ornament exchange between the children. But this is no ordinary exchange...
At the appointed time, all the children gathered around on the large family room floor, spreading out as best they could into a circle. They all made sure they had the ornament present they brought, all festively wrapped, in their little laps...and when all were quiet, I began my job as the official reader of "Auntie Claus", by Elise Primavera:
It's a wonderful holiday story about how a little girl, Sophie Kringle,
solves a bit of a mystery surrounding her Auntie Claus...as I began my animated reading of this cute story, every time the name "Auntie Claus" came up, I would pause while the children handed their gift to the person to their left. I'd read some more, then hit another "Auntie" and they would pass again.
Of course, I took great liberties with reading the story as I dislike ever being boring...and so we enjoyed our literary journey to the North Pole to discover why "Auntie Claus" (pass) went on a business trip every year from Halloween through Valentine's Day, leaving her New York penthouse empty and yet decorated for Christmas all year 'round. And when the final page was read, the children excitedly opened the package that ended up in their lap and got to see their new ornament. The sheer delight on their faces said it all, some running excitedly to their parents to show them their beautiful treasure, with the room in a make-shift blizzard of torn paper, bows, and tissue wads.A good time was had by all...and I nigh lost my voice! Worth every ounce of effort and lost sleep, too.
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