You couldn't make it up dept. no.53: Italian children's letters to God

[fpb]

Traditionally, in Italy, children used to write their Christmas letters not to Father Christmas (a comparatively recent import), but to Baby Jesus Himself. What surprises me is that apparently the habit has spread, and according to a recent book that collects highlights, these day they write to Him all the year round, and ask the most interesting questions.

Dear Jesus, did you want the giraffe to be as it is, or was it an accident?

Dear Baby Jesus, my schoolmates all write to Father Christmas, but I don't trust the guy. I prefer You.
Sara

Dear Jesus, are you really invisible or is it only a trick?
Giovanni

Dear Jesus, is Fr.Mario really a friend of yours, or just a work acquaintance?
Antonio

Dear Jesus, I like the Our Father a lot. Did you get it all at once or did you have to work at it? When I write something, I have to do a lot of rewritings.
Andrea

Dear Jesus, why have you not invented any new animals lately? We have always the same.
Laura

Dear Jesus, could you please place some bit of holiday between Christmas and Easter, right now there isn't anything between them.
Marco

Dear Baby Jesus, please send me a puppy. I never asked for anything before; you can check.
Bruno

Dear Jesus, maybe Cain wouldn't have been so keen to kill Abel if they had had one room each. It works with my brother.
Lorenzo

Dear Jesus, I am going to dress as a devil on Carnival Day. Do you have anything against that?
Michela

Dear Jesus, You who can see everything, can you tell me who hid my pencil case?
Marco

Dear Jesus, my name is Andrea [a boy's name in Italian], I am short and kind of thin but not weak. My brother says my face is uglier than sin, but that's OK, at least I won't have one of those wives who are always in the way and gossiping.
Andrea

Dear Jesus, we studied at school that Thomas Edison invented light. But at Sunday School they say it was You. I think he stole Your idea.
Daria

Dear Baby Jesus, thanks for the little brother. But really, I had asked for a dog.
Gianluca

Dear Jesus, I don't think there could be a better God than You. I just thought I'd tell you, but it's not as though I'm saying just because You are God.
Valerio

Dear Jesus, the bad guys were laughing about Noah, building an Ark on dry land. But he was smart taking Your Father's word - I'd have done the same.
Edoardo

Dear Jesus, do you know that I really like how You made my girlfriend Simonetta?
Matteo

Dear Jesus, instead of letting people die and making new ones, why don't you keep the ones you already have?
Marcello

Dear Jesus, the story I like best is the one where you walk on water. You really have thought up some stonkers. The next best is the one about bread and fishes.
Antonella

Dear Jesus, if you had not made the dinosaurs extinct, there would have been no place for us. That was a really good idea.
Maurizio

Dear Baby Jesus, don't buy our presents in the shop downstairs, Mommy says they are a bunch of robbers. [The Italian equivalent of Wal-Mart] is much better.
Lucia

Comments

[rfachir.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the tornado missed you.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It was several miles north and west of where I live, and across the river. I know the area well, and the destruction was shocking; we are not used to seeing whole weight-bearing brick walls ripped from houses just by wind. But even here where I live, we did have the worst hailstorm I ever saw; it was so ferocious I was afraid the windowpanes might break. Luckily, both tornado and (I gather) hailstorm only lasted a few minutes.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Lol!

[patchworkmind.livejournal.com]

Precious.

[thepreciouss.livejournal.com]

Awww...I love children.

And Italian children? Even better!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I like Matteo's best :-)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

That is my favourite too. In fact... have you noticed the name of this friends page?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Just checked! Very sweet ♥

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

Dear Baby Jesus, my schoolmates all write to Father Christmas, but I don't trust the guy. I prefer You. Sara
Sensible girl. One intermediary less :)
Dear Jesus, You who can see everything, can you tell me who hid my pencil case? Marco
But this guy got the address wrong. That's St Anthony's of Padua work.