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By Melissa Cannavo-Marino and Sara
Natale! Christmas! When I was a puppy and didn’t have a home, I was molto triste (mol-toe-tree-stay). Then Mamma found me and took me to her home, and I was cosi felice (co-zee fell-ee-chay) very happy. A few months later Mamma kept talking about Natale (Nah-tal-a) and finally she explained to me what it was. Then, during our walks ho notato (o no-ta-toe) I noticed colored lights over the streets and people greeting each other with “Buon Natale.” When I was home alone Mamma went to un negozio (oon nay-go-zee-oh) a store to buy me degli giocattoli (de-yee joe-ca-toe-lee) some toys. I didn’t know what they were and then she hid them.
La mattina di Natale (la ma-tea-nah d Nah-tal-a) Christmas morning I woke up to find all these packages with beautiful shiny paper under the tree Mamma had decoratated. “Sono per te Sara!” (So-no pear tay) “They are for you!” Mamma said. I was so happy I sniffed them all and wagged la mia coda (la me-ah-ko-da) my tail and then I tore off the paper. I got treats and a pull toy, but my favorite was una palla verde (oon-na pah-lah-vair-day) a green ball. I played with my toys all day but when I was stanca (stan-kah) I lay on il divano (eel dee-vah-no) the couch for a while. I also kept my green ball close by so no one would take it. I even tried to take it fuori (fwor-ee) outside when I had to go potty. I also got nei guai (nay-gwhy) in trouble because I took the ball and rolled it under the couch or the TV and then cried until someone gave it back to me. Finally, Mamma blocked under the TV and couch. I was so sad because it was so much fun!
Then it was time for bed, and Mamma said I had to put my toys away. I had to tell them buona notte giocattoli (bu-o-nah no-tay joe-ca-toe-lee) goodnight toys, which was extremely hard to do. The next morning, I ran over to the bookshelf where my toy basket was kept and stared at it until Mamma put it on the floor. It was the best Christmas!
Here is a poem from the Italian website Filastrocche written by a young Italian child.
| A Natale i regali scartiamo | At Christmas we check our presents |
| con tanta curiosità, | with great curiosity. |
| sperando che il regalo ci piaccia. | Hoping we will like each gift. |
| Si mangia tanto | We eat a lot |
| i bambini non vedono l’ora | We can’t wait |
| di aprire i regali. | To open our gifts. |
| Ed ecco mezzanotte | And then it is midnight. |
| e i regali apriamo | and we open our gifts |
| poi la tombola | later we play tombola |
| e poi tutti a casa a dormire. | and then we all go home to sleep. |
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