Santa's Visit

Below, find the letter I mailed to Santa on behalf of the Roushanzamir family. It's rather lengthy. Please persevere. The letter is followed by our success rate and analysis.

2006 Letter to Santa [Christmas Gift Request Letter for the Roushanzamir Family]:

Dear, Wonderful Santa,

On behalf of myself and my Papa & Mama here find our lists of What We Want for Christmas. We have all been very well behaved: no pouting, no crying, no shouting, and etc. In other words, we've all been really good indeed. All year long.

[OK: for the sake of honesty we've all been as good as can be expected. And we hope that, with promises for even better behavior next year (2007), you'll feel free to honor our wishes this year (2006).]

In alphabetical order by first name:

Mama:

1 cool African market basket from Earth Fare

1 soft silk and cashmere sweater, long & lean style

Doctor Who - The Key to Time Collection (1975)
Doctor Who - The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1975)

Doctor Who - Earthshock (Episode 122) from
Doctor Who - The Five Doctors (Episode 130)
The Maigret DVD Collection

A special Queen's coronation box

Dickens' leather-bound writing journal

Bezzel-set diamond necklace set in 18-carat gold

Mercury:

No need to include my wishes here. I've emailed my wish list far ahead of time with the caveat that if you don't receive it, I'll resend. So let me know.

Saeidy:

$50 gift certificate from Old Navy
Avenger’s calander
All-England football wind jacket
Western-style belt

Santa, I've spent a great deal of time & care assembling these lists for our family.

One factor stands out: Mama's list is the longest.

Please don't hold this against her or think her greedy. The truth of the matter: Mama is my hero. Although I take her for granted, I know she's the one who stays with me all day long and puts my needs before her own. I do not mean to imply that Papa & I do not equally deserve consideration. Simply put, although the length of Mama's list is greater, her actions should not be considered avaricious nor be counted as Bad Behavior.

Santa, we all love you & think of you throughout each year (not only close to Christmas time). Are you doing well? We hope so. Say hello to Mrs. Santa and all your pals at the North Pole.

Finally, we hope you can slip down our chimney despite the fact that a block was put up on the roof to keep out undesirables; but that does not mean you!

Lots of Love from your good friend ,
Mercury Murphy Roushanzamir

p.s. One more note about Mama's list. Perhaps Saeid will get her the African market basket. Contact him so there's no duplication

************************************************************************

The Results:

Apparently the letter was received; as a group we had an 90% success rate [margin of error +/- 3].

For example, Although I'd asked for 3 rapping plush dog toys, I received only one. It was, however, my first choice. When squeezed, it raps: "D--O--G D--O--G what you gonna do, what you gonna do when they come for you?"

Mama did find all the requested Dr. Who dvd/s except "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." She received the leather-bound Dickens journal. Sadly the Maigret dvd/s were not under the tree [a living Cypress]. Nor was there an African basket. She knew the diamond necklace was a long shot anyway; it may have been her demise [see analysis below].

Saeid's every wish was granted.

Analysis :

Mama, in making her [too] many requests, overstepped the boundaries of good gift requesting taste. Her faux-pas was noted, despite my well-crafted plea.

Mercury: Admittedly many of my requests were for the arcane, the mysterious, the rare. So I don't complain; with the exception of a spa robe [which Mama has agreed to return & exchange], all my presents were toys. No sweaters, pj/s or cute doggie accessories [see the September 7, 2006 entry for the suggestive books regarding smaller dogs' preferences].

As for Saeid, it seems that Santa agrees with the allegation that "Saeid's the nicest guy in Athens." I include the quotation marks for good reason: how many times have I listened to Athenians from the day, townies, and newcomers alike make that remark.

Finally: As you may know, Mama serves as my photographer as well as fulfilling other support functions. But, replete with Christmas food & drink, a recuperation period is in order.

Shots of the best of the best gifts from Santa will appear in due course as will tips for crafting your own letter to Santa in 2007.