My Little Corner of Canada

JOHN AMAGOALIK

Ring, ring.

“Hello.”

“Hello, is this the little corner?”

“Yes. Good to hear from you Santa. I know your voice anywhere. How are you?”

“Jolly good, thank you. I understand you are having your first little blizzard in Iqaluit.”

“It’s not much of a blizzard but it’s building up some nice snowdrifts.”

“I also see here that you now have your first granddaughter. How is she?”

“She’s just fine. Grandson number four was also born three weeks after the granddaughter.”

“That’s wonderful. You must be very proud.”

“Yes, I am. Grandchildren are very special.”

“That’s great. I hope they have an interesting life like you have had.”

“I hope so too. But I get a little worried sometimes about overpopulation, the depletion of the ozone, and we still have people like Saddam Hussein who are still trying to build biological and nuclear weapons. He’s just the type of person who would use them too.”

“Don’t worry too much. I think humans are very smart and will find solutions for these problems. I do wish Saddam would stop threatening the world with these horrible weapons.”

“Anyway, Santa, how does Christmas look this year?”

“It’s looking very good. I have been looking through my big book to see who has been naughty or nice. Some kids who were pretty naughty last year are behaving better this year. But there are still some who are skipping classes in school, telling lies, and some of them are even stealing. This sort of thing makes me very sad. I also see that some parents are neglecting their children. Neglected children can become real problems when they grow up.”

“How about the real story of Christmas? Are children learning about the birth of Christ?”

“Most children know the story of the birth of Christ. But it really saddens me when some educators are not comfortable telling about the origin of Christmas. They are afraid of offending other religions and cultures. I think they’re getting a little too sensitive sometimes.”

“Are those Greenlanders still thinking that you live in Kalatlit Nunaat?”

“I don’t have the heart to tell them that I’ve been living on Ellesmere Island all along.”

“Do you live inside the proposed national park?”

“The CIA might be listening to our conversation so I would not feel comfortable about answering that. I wouldn’t want them snooping around here looking for my toy factory.”

“I guess its better this way.”

“Do you have a special wish for Christmas?”

“Yes, I wish a very special Christmas for my aunt Minnie in Resolute. She must be in her eighties now.”

“Ok, I’ll try and do my part so she has a nice Christmas. I better get back to my workshop. Mrs. Claus is calling me. Give a big kiss to your new granddaughter for me.”

“Thanks, Santa. I’ll look forward to talking to you again next year. Bye.”

“Bye, little corner. Merry Christmas.”