On the twelfth night of Christmas, I share with you David Sedaris’s take on Christmas traditions, especially Sinterklaas (thanks, Hammhawk, and it was nice to see you this afternoon!). Aren’t you glad the holidays are over, Fat Tuesday is right around the corner and we have a whole Carnival season to pack into the space of one month? I am (she said sarcastically).
Six To Eight Black Men [video with narration] [transcript]
“Is it just him alone?” I asked. “Or does he come with backup?”
Oscar’s English was close to perfect, but he seemed thrown by a term normally reserved for police reinforcement.
“Helpers,” I said. “Does he have any elves?”
Maybe I’m just overly sensitive, but I couldn’t help but feel personally insulted when Oscar denounced the very idea as grotesque and unrealistic. “Elves,” he said. “They’re just so silly.”
The words silly and unrealistic were redefined when I learned that Saint Nicholas travels with what was consistently described as “six to eight black men.” I asked several Dutch people to narrow it down, but none of them could give me an exact number. It was always “six to eight,” which seems strange, seeing as they’ve had hundreds of years to get a decent count …
