Little donkey small and gray

We have this old custom in Switzerland called "Samichlaus", which translates to Santa Claus. However, he's not like other Santa Clauses. While he looks like them, he doesn't arrive on Christmas, but on the 6th of December. He lives in the forrest and he comes with a helper called "Schmutzli", who's in a dark robe with a black face and carries a rod made from branches. He doesn't say anything but he's kind of scary. Samichlaus carries a bit hessian bag full of mandarines, peanuts, chocolates and gingerbread. Him and Schmutzli will come to your house and they know exactly what you've been up to during the year, and if you haven't been a good girl or a good boy, then god help you. Because Schmutzli will take you into his bag and they will take you to the forrest. And you might even get your arse beaten.

At least that's how the story goes, and most kids have a cousin who has a friend, who has a sister who knows someone who's friend once got taken away to the forrest. This obviously only applies to you if you're a kid. Once you're an adult, you're fine. You can be as naughty as you damn well will and Schmutzli won't give a rat's arse. He might even like it.

If you ARE a kid, however, and you have been good, or at least kind of acceptable, then things are looking up for you. Now all you need to do is recite a Samichlaus poem to the two guys from the forrest and you will be rewarded. They will pour out the big hessian bag on your livingroom floor and you will have enough mandarines and peanuts to make you sick. They're actually pretty cool guys, Samichlaus and Schmutzli. Once you get to know them.

Anyway. While the proper day for them to arrive is the 6th of December, they usually make an appearance a bit earlier, at Christmas markets and stuff. I had to go to one of them a couple of days ago to write an article about the first arrival of Samichlaus, which is always kind of a big deal. Usually they arrive with a donkey, but this one arrived in a horse and carriage- pretty damn posh, if you ask me. Don't know how he makes the money in the forrest to afford a fancy horse and carriage, but that's not my problem. The kids went mental, of course. They all crowded him to tell him their little poems. Most of them had a mix of fear and excitement in their eyes and the really young ones spoke so softly you barely noticed they actually said something. But Samichlaus was generous and they all got a little Santa bag with goodies. Usually no kids over the age of, I guess, about eight or so would go up to Santa, because they don't believe in it anymore. They're already too cool to believe in fairy tales. So it's really just for the very young kiddies.

But when the first rush of the kids was over, Santa looked at me and then at Schmutzli and he said: "Schmutzli, you need to give this girl a bag of goodies too. She's been giving me such a lovely smile." He went to get a bag but I said: "Hang on. I know a Santa poem too." He looked at me surprised: "Really? Do you?" I said: "Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, this was the first Santa poem I ever delivered, when I was two." So I stood in front of them and recited the "Eseli, Eseli chli und grau" poem. It's about a "little donkey, little donkey, small and gray". And I tell you what, I rocked the socks off that poem. They absolutely loved it. And I was the only person over the age of eight to go home with a Samichlaus goodie bag.