I am an Irish lass. Growing up, St. Patrick’s Day was second only to Christmas in our house. Seriously, my Mom made everything green and shiz. It was amazing. We all have a lot of Irish pride (perhaps part of the reason I still can’t give up my last name). Anywho…
Fast-forward many years and now I am trying to recreate some of the same traditions for my kiddos. Among them is reading pertinent books. Last week I was reading a book to Cora in which the people of Ireland were a happy bunch because they had so much luck. But they were too lucky and too happy and so the leprechauns came on the scene to take away the people’s luck and keep their happiness in check. The leprechaun king whisked the main character, Fiona, down into his underworld layer where he was storing all the luck of the land.
Now, if you are a good parent, you’re thinking: Brie, why the hell hadn’t you read the scary book first before reading it to your three year old? Or at least scanned the damn thing? Fine, fine. You got me there. But look, the book ends on a happy note where the girl restores all the luck…blah blah blah. However if you’re like me, you have perhaps a more important question: what the fuck is the deal with the leprechauns?
I mean, I know they are supposed to be mischievous and all, but why’d they have to bring a girl down to hell or whatever? Why they gotta be so harsh? I guess I always thought they were supposed to be light-hearted, fun, little guys. The kind you’d want to be friends with. The kind whose heads you’d rub when they did something silly. The class clown type. Not horrific, evil devils that give little girls nightmares.
Well, you can imagine this left poor Cora with a lot of questions, and me spinning to try and make St. Patrick’s Day not sound so heinous and corrupt. It is supposed to be fun after all.
Fucking leprechauns.
My love for this is beyond words.
