Wee fish, ewe, a mare, egrets, moose

by Doctor Science

In the spirit of the season, and also "More Frequent Posting" --

Jim and Dylan are a gay couple living in the Chelsea area of New York City, and for some reason they're getting Santa's mail: letters addressed to their specific address and apartment, with gift requests for Santa from poor children. The New York Times posted a wonderfully heart-warming video about how the two men are trying to deal with the influx. It's pretty clear that Dylan wants to take an institutional approach -- give the letters to one of the city's organizations that tries to fulfill children's Christmas wishes. But Jim feels a personal responsibility for them, he wants to do this himself. Dylan says, "You don't think about it, you just give. That's always been your way, and I love that about you."

I tend to agree with Dylan, that maybe they should have taken a more practical approach, giving the letters to an organization that can deal with them more effectively. But I have to also acknowledge that the giving heart is admirable, too: we need that human sense of connection, along with our institutional efficiency.

The article about the video says that neither the couple nor the reporter were able to figure out *why* Santa's mail is coming to a particular Chelsea apartment. Chelsea itself is named for Chelsea House, where Clement Clarke Moore, the author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas", was born and grew up.

I talked about this story with the family, and Sprog #2 recalls reading a children’s picture book in which Santa Claus is living in New York City undercover — on 22nd Street. I have been unable to track the book down so far, but my guess this may be the source of Jim & Dylan’s letters. The book would have been published before 2006. Does it ring a bell with any of you?

Comments

[efgoldman]

Well, Doc, it looks like ObWiers don't much check the blogs on xmas.

Or maybe everyone was scared off by the really, truly awful pun (the bestest kind).

So let me speak for the assembled multitude:
Grooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day. Also hope that, unlike my daughter and her husband, you're not looking trepidatiously at the forecast for Sunday night and Monday, which doesn't bode well for travel from Providence to DC, even on the train.

[Doctor Science]

The pun is not original with me, it is by Sandra Boynton.

[efgoldman]

(8 hours later)

OK we went over the river and through the woods to Grandma's and back. Racist, alcoholic, gun-totin' bro-in-law managed to stay civil until after dinner. Now, daughter's husband has been on hold w/Amtrak for the better part of an hour. They're only going as far South as DC, but trains South of Richmond have already been cancelled for tomorrow - definitely not a good sign.

Scylla and Charybdis: If they leave tomorrow, they'll be going South (from Providence) into the thick of it, and there likely won't be any transportation from Union Station to Arlington, where they live. But if they plan on their scheduled departure Monday mid-morning, its possible we won't be able to get them to the train in downtown Providence. Damn.

Kid has always had terrible travel karma.

[Jay C]

@ efgoldman:

Yes, Mother Nature is certainly being a stone bitch this December - at least as far as travel is concerned. At least your kids only have domestic travel to deal with: we have cousins (parents & two kids) who decided to fly to Europe ("England and France") over the Xmas holiday (great planning!) and are supposed to be flying back tomorrow - to (oddly) Raleigh, NC! I just hope their "Xmas 2010" story has something in it NOT relating to Heathrow/CDG, etc....

[efgoldman]

@Jay C
I believe you and I are currently posting at the same time here and at BJ.

Take that, Gary Farber.

[Emma]

And, efgoldman, we have been posting here and at TNC's place. The good people find out the good places -- that's the free market for you, right?

Hope you are all staying warm. We're enjoying summer rain over here on the southern half of the world, and my zucchinis are thriving as a result.

Happy New Year. There's something great about starting the year with a really good long holiday.

[Doctor Science]

Emma:

Pinch off those zucchini blossoms and cook with them! otherwise you'll be hip-deep in zucchini in a month or so ...

[wonkie]

I hope everyone had a wondeful holiday.

I am blessed with relatives that I like. We alwasy have great Christmases which build inot a cresendo of protracted gift giving. Tomorrow I am taking my in laws to the dog rescue to (hopefully) pick out a dog. It will be the perfect CHristmas if one of our dogs gets a home!

[Scott de B.]

Panda hippo gnu deer!

[True Religion]

Face everyday with a smile.