I wish I were Irish

St. Patrick's day has never been celebrated in our home, apart from the "wear green or be pinched." This all changed yesterday when Cameron came home from school. He very excitedly announced that a leprechaun would be visiting our house that night and would leave footprints and chocolates in our house. I asked him where he heard this. "I just know it, mom," was the reply. Then he told me that another kid on his bus told him that leprechauns weren't real and he faithfully told him he KNEW they were real. I didn't know how to respond. I called up my intelligent husband. He said to tell him that they only celebrate St. Patricks day in Ireland or we would get roped into a tradition we may not wish to continue year after year. Humbug! Then I called my friend Angie, dear Angie that celebrates and decorates her house for all holidays, big and small (I'm pretty sure she even has Cinco de Mayo, and Chinese New Year decorations). I remembered something about a leprechaun trap that she had made with her kids in years past and sure enough she was the source I was looking for. She told me about leprechauns loving shiny things and how to decorate a shoebox and stand it up with a stick so that the leprechaun would get caught inside. We were up for the challenge and covered our shoebox with tin foil and shamrock stickers, and hung a shiny bell on our stick so we would be alerted to our leprechauns capture. At first the trap was placed next to Cameron's bed, but he soon decided that he might not want a leprechaun that close to him, so it was placed out in the hallway, but not so far that the boys could not hear the bell ring. Cameron told me of his plans to take the leprechaun in for show and tell the next day and he was completely giddy with excitement. It took a bit longer for the boys to fall asleep, but eventually they did and come morning Cameron came to whisper in my ear that the leprechaun had been there, but the trap did not work. But there were footprints! and gold! and chocolate! and that silly leprechaun had peed in all our toilets! Who knew that all you had to do to invite a leprechaun into your house was to set a trap? That boy on the bus doesn't know what he's missing.