The other day, I was lying in bed wondering why we celebrate St. Patrick’s day in America…and who exactly is this St. Patrick fellow? I fired up the laptop and read about St. Patrick’s Day until I turned blue (wished it was green). Wanna hear the scoop?? (Mariel style…)
So, this dude Patricus (otherwise known as Patrick) was born in Scotland (387 AD) to a family who was totally loaded. When he was 16, he was kidnapped by these Irish jerks that raided his family’s estate. He was brought to Ireland where he was a slave preforming sheep herding duties for his master. During his 6 years of enslavement, he prayed a lot and formed a relationship with God. One day, after 6 years of being in captivity…an angel came to him and told him to escape. He ran nearly 200 miles, found a ship, hopped on and went back to Scotland. When he got back, he decided he wanted to devote his life to God and Christianity. So, he totally studied up and was a student to some of the most notable Christians (at the time). He decided he wanted to go share the love with the Irish that were so cruel to him. He sailed back and the first thing he does (being an honest man) is go to his slave master and pay the ransom that would have been due had someone rescued him. He then was a missionary of Christianity for the next 60 years. He founded 365 churches! Basically, he is known because he made a serious name for Christianity in Ireland.
There you have it. Now we know who the schmell he is, but still the question remains…why do we celebrate that here in America?? How about, I don’t know. Maybe because it can be fun? We Americans love to pinch (pennies, these days) and talk about “going green”. It makes total sense, right?
So, what to do on this bewildering day??
Allow me to plan your day…
1. With the kids, make some leprechaun traps! You can use moustraps, shoe boxes, etc. You trick them out so they look really enticing to the little buggers. Make a trail of Lucky Charms leading up to them. Then SNAP!, they’re trapped. And, if they get away, I’m sure they’ll leave behind some gold chocolate coins, some green toilet water (food color), some green footprints, and a note teasing that they can’t be caught! Make sure the kids study up on leprechauns so if they catch one the know what to do with it! Leprechauns are wealthy little guys, that have buried pots of gold. They are grouchy and like to live alone. They pass the time by making shoes, you can sometimes find them by following the sound of the shoe-making hammer! If you catch one, you will have to physically force the leprechaun to spill the beans as to the whereabouts of his gold. But, be careful! Never look away from him! If your eyes shift away, he’s gone. Sometimes the pots of gold our thought to be found at the end of rainbows…!
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2. Since you probably aren’t into corned beef and cabbage…why not make Chinese Chicken Salad for dinner (cabbage included and it’s green)! For dessert, have some Green Sherbet ice cream with 7-up poured on top (lime floats)! Easy dinner.
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3. Get the spectacular movie, Darby O’Gill and the Little People. Totally leprechaun, totally Irish. Great for the whole family to cuddle up to!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
