Tricky Leprechaun

Day 165

When I was little we didn’t have any McKenzie O’Shamrock.  

Santa?  Yes.  The Easter Bunny?  Absolutely.  The Tooth Fairy?  Occasionally, if my parents remembered.  Not today's kids.  They've got a list of others, most of whom I'd never heard of until the boys introduced us. 

The first St. Patrick's Day McKenzie O’Shamrock visited our house, he dyed toilet water green, filled my car with green helium balloons, filled the kids’ rooms with helium balloons and sprinkled rainbow glitter in a path from their bedroom to the pack patio. 

The next year, he slacked a bit.  He got the toilet water (always a winner) and tied one green balloon to the boys’ doorknobs with a bag of rainbow Skittles. 

This year: toilet water and a box of Lucky Charms.  I think the cereal is genius and am actually quite proud of myself.  A dapper leprechaun smiles out from the package of the sugary cereal I normally refuse to buy.  

“That’s it?” the kids ask when they see it.  

“Guess so,” I reply.   

“But where’s the candy?” A. says.  “He always leaves us the candy.” 

I remind him that technically he’s only left candy the one year.  “Leprechauns are unreliable,” I tell them.

After some more grousing, we agree to write McKenzie a note.  “How’s he going to know if you don’t tell him?” I reason. 

“Will he come back?” A. asks.  “You know.  With the candy?”   

I assure him he only visits each house one time.  “Keep your fingers crossed for next year.”

Although it may seem a contradiction, the addition of more magical houseguests gives me as a parent an opportunity to slow down.  With kids growing up a million miles a minute, if a box of sugary cereal left by a trickster leprechaun puts on the brakes, I’m all for it.   

And for those who’ve never tried it, nothing beats green toilet water for funny.