Tuesday, December 23, 2008

From the mouths of babes ...

My memory was jogged today. Back to December, 1977.

I was getting my 6th graders ready for their choral performance in the Big Christmas Program. We were assigned to sing the somewhat obscure, "When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter" and then get off the stage. Piece of cake. Right? Not really. The words and melody are pretty simple, but standing tall on risers, singing with mouths open and at least pretending to being happy about rendering a holiday song proved difficult.

We must have sang -

When Santa Claus gets your letter
You know what he will say
"Have you been good the way you should
On ev'ry single day?"
When Santa gets your letter
To ask for Christmas toys
He'll take a look in his good book
He keeps for girls and boys.
He'll stroke his beard
Hs eyes will glow
And at your name he'll peer
It takes a little time, you know
To check back one whole year!
When Santa Claus gets your letter
I really do believe
You'll head his list
Yu won't be missed
By Santa on Christmas Eve.

- 163 times.

On take 164, the over rehearsed class sang in unison:

When Santa Claus gets your letter
He'll throw it in the trash.

I had to laugh. I laugh again today.
I had to admire the coordinated uprising of that class.

There were no more rehearsals.

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