The local paper here has been devoting increasing amounts of space (far outweighing such fripperies as foreign – and by foreign I mean ‘outside Colarado’ – news) to letters from the local children to Santa. Mostly they’re just recitations of demands, punctuated with the odd duty pleasantry towards the reindeer, elves and Mrs Claus, and assurances that the writer has been good. All human life is there: over-reaching ambition (XBox, car, house), bafflingly specific detail (‘a nerf zig-zager but I want it to be blue but not the small ones just the bigger sizes’), banality (world peace, cure for cancer), outright bizarreness (a butler?) and a touch of pathos (‘warm clothes and sneakers so I can run around’).
And then there are the writers who already seem to have a novelist’s grasp of narrative and the telling detail. Such as Aaliyah, who wants many things but confines herself to the four she wants most: a Betty Boop dress, so she will have something to wear to the talent competition, an art studio, so she can make paintings using all colours of the rainbow, a bunny rabbit to replace the one she used to have before her sister killed it by feeding it too many cheetos, oh, and for ‘me, my sister and my brother to be reunited with my mom and for everyone to get along.’
It brings a tear even to my cynical eye. Although I would advise her, if this reunion is effected, to keep her sister away from the replacement rabbit…
UPDATE
It’s that ol’ viral marketing again, but given the topic, I was unable to resist this.
I guess that’s what makes it viral…
The music on your video was inspired. Had me LOL-ing.
Merry Christmas! xx
WOL – the ride of the Valkyries, appropriately enough.
Flighty – and to you! Hope the weather has improved over there