Right about now, Emma would be reminding me that tomorrow was St. Patrick’s Day and wondering out loud whether the leprechaun would visit us again year. You see every year a leprechaun visits our house on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day while we are all sleeping and leaves candy and small gifts. Even when she was 16, Emma looked forward to his visit. It would bring a smile to my face when each year, like clockwork, she would say the same thing on the day before St. Patrick’s Day. “Hey, Mom, you know tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day. Do you think the leprechaun will be back?” The leprechaun and I got the message loud and clear - one was never too old for a visit from a sprite bearing candy.
The leprechaun first visited our house the year Emma was in Kindergarten. In the couple of days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day that year, Emma’s Kindergarten teacher had told the class that a mischievous leprechaun often visited her classroom on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. The leprechaun would over-turn desks, take books off the shelves, and scatter papers. It was harmless fun, the teacher told them, and she wondered out loud whether he would come again this year.
Emma wasn’t so sure what she thought about this naughty leprechaun visiting her classroom. The other kids seemed to think it was funny and exciting and couldn’t wait to find out if the leprechaun would be back this year. But Emma didn’t really see anything funny about it, and she began to worry that if a leprechaun could come make mischief in her classroom, maybe one would come make mischief in her house!
We tried to reassure her. We had a great St. Patrick’s Day book that we read every night that cast a different light on the holiday. And, we were looking forward to joining Gram, Gramps and her aunt and uncle and cousins for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. There was a lot to look forward to, we reasoned, and she should try not to worry about that pesky leprechaun. On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day that year, we managed to get her settled down for bed, but she was still worried about what she would find at school in the morning and wasn’t sure she even wanted to go.
When she woke up on St. Patrick’s Day morning she discovered a giant shamrock on the floor just outside her bedroom door. On top of it were scattered several gold foil covered chocolates. Sarah also had a shamrock outside of her bedroom door. From those two giant shamrocks, there seemed to be a trail of smaller shamrocks and a sprinkling of the gold-covered chocolates, like breadcrumbs, leading towards the kitchen. Emma squealed with joy and followed the trail, which ended at the kitchen table. On top of the table at Sarah and Emma’s places were two more large shamrocks covered with the gold chocolates and two shamrock pins, one for each of them.
Emma immediately guessed that this must be the work of a leprechaun. Now she couldn’t wait to go to school. She was going to tell Mrs. M. that she had a leprechaun, too, but that her leprechaun brought shamrocks and candy and even a pin to wear. It was really very lucky to have a leprechaun she decided.
I really didn’t know whether the leprechaun would come back year after year, but he did. I guess since Emma took the time each year to stop and think about him, he felt the least he could do was stop by, leave some shamrocks and chocolates, and let her know he was thinking of her. I suspect he’ll be back this year for that very same reason.
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