Peter's Leprechaun Trap

Neither Elise or I knew anything about the new childrens' mythos that has popped up around St. Patrick's Day. All I knew was that we were supposed to wear green, because if you didn't wear green on St. Patrick's Day then you would get pinched.

But nowadays, I guess a leprechaun sneaks into your house at night and leaves you chocolate in a pot of gold or something. I'm not exactly sure what their teaching in school these days. When Peter got up this morning he asked me where the leprechaun left his pot of gold. I looked at him blankly and said, "What leprechaun?" 

Peter then proceeded to make a leprechaun trap with masking tape and a discarded lego box. 

Elise felt bad she didn't indulge the kids' St. Patty's Day magic a little more, so she ran to Michaels and got some leprechaun dust and stickers and bubbles that the leprechaun is going to leave in Pete's trap for when he gets home from school. 

This excerpt from an article in today's Wall Street Journal explains it a little better than I can: 

In a tradition that is unknown to many in Ireland, children in American classrooms and homes are making traps to catch leprechauns on March 16, the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. The Rube Goldberg machines are usually green and filled with gold coins and glitter, all fabled favorites of the mischievous tricksters who reveal the location of hidden treasure when captured.

Rigging traps out of decorated shoeboxes builds interest in engineering and encourages creativity, teachers say. How on earth was this tradition born, parents say.

“You used to get a pass on St. Patrick’s Day,” says Katherine Wintsch, chief executive of the Mom Complex, a consulting firm in Richmond, Va. “Parents are coming off of Valentine’s Day,” she adds, “and pretty soon it’s Easter so you have to do the baskets, buy dresses and bonnets…and make a ham for your in-laws.”

Amen. Except for making the ham part. I would just go to Honeybaked Ham. They can do it better than I could anyway.