[en]Kiira Korpi’s Christmas memory[/en][fi]Kiira Korpi’s Christmas memory[/fi][ja]キーラ・コルピのクリスマスの思い出[/ja]

[en]

Kiira is one of the patrons in a charity campaing in Tampere organized by Junior Chamber Tammerkoski. There’s also a nice little christmas related story from Kiira’s childhood on the site. Thanks to “kiirankaima” for informing us about it.

Just one wish for christmas

Because school and training is keeping Kiira busy, Kiira’s mother told a story about four year old Kiira’s peculiar wish for christmas present.

In Korpi family christmas has traditionally been a wonderfull time with whole family, about meeting relatives and friends. When Kiira was four the family had recently moved to Turku. As christmas was closing grandmother and other relatives phoned in to ask present wishes and Kiira firmly announced that she wanted a water tap, her own golden water tap.

The wish raised questions, what were the origins of such request – a golden water tap. Apparently in the day-nursery the nannies used word “kraana” for a water tap when asking the children to wash their hands, instead of the more common word “hana”. And for small children the word “kraana” is much more impressive than the word “hana”, and maybe the water taps in the day-nursery were those old fashion ones, who knows.

With mail came those colorfull toy-catalogues from which older sister Petra tried to lure Kiira into choosing something else. Couple of weeks later grandmother called again to ask the childrens present wishes, but nothing on the catalogues had been much of interest and Kiira still announced that her only wish is a golden water tap.

Fortunately grandfather, who was a plumber, managed to find an old water tap made out of brass. He polished it so that it shined and placed it into a piece of styrofoam, and so grandmother was able to send Kiira the present she had so much wished for.

Christmas eve came and Santa brough several presents to four year old Kiira. After opening the present with the golden tap the rest were left unopened – my own golden water tap! During the holidays Kiira took the water tap along where ever she went and proudly presented it to all relatives and friends. Later the water tap was put in to use at the grandparents summer cottage.

Mother also says that Kiira’s wishes for christmas presents have rarely been longer than just one item!

[/en]

[fi]

Kiira is one of the patrons in a charity campaing in Tampere organized by Junior Chamber Tammerkoski. There’s also a nice little christmas related story from Kiira’s childhood on the site. Thanks to “kiirankaima” for informing us about it.

Just one wish for christmas

Because school and training is keeping Kiira busy, Kiira’s mother told a story about four year old Kiira’s peculiar wish for christmas present.

In Korpi family christmas has traditionally been a wonderfull time with whole family, about meeting relatives and friends. When Kiira was four the family had recently moved to Turku. As christmas was closing grandmother and other relatives phoned in to ask present wishes and Kiira firmly announced that she wanted a water tap, her own golden water tap.

The wish raised questions, what were the origins of such request – a golden water tap. Apparently in the day-nursery the nannies used word “kraana” for a water tap when asking the children to wash their hands, instead of the more common word “hana”. And for small children the word “kraana” is much more impressive than the word “hana”, and maybe the water taps in the day-nursery were those old fashion ones, who knows.

With mail came those colorfull toy-catalogues from which older sister Petra tried to lure Kiira into choosing something else. Couple of weeks later grandmother called again to ask the childrens present wishes, but nothing on the catalogues had been much of interest and Kiira still announced that her only wish is a golden water tap.

Fortunately grandfather, who was a plumber, managed to find an old water tap made out of brass. He polished it so that it shined and placed it into a piece of styrofoam, and so grandmother was able to send Kiira the present she had so much wished for.

Christmas eve came and Santa brough several presents to four year old Kiira. After opening the present with the golden tap the rest were left unopened – my own golden water tap! During the holidays Kiira took the water tap along where ever she went and proudly presented it to all relatives and friends. Later the water tap was put in to use at the grandparents summer cottage.

Mother also says that Kiira’s wishes for christmas presents have rarely been longer than just one item!

[/fi]

[ja]

キーラ・コルピはタンペレで行なわれるチャリティ・キャンペーンの後援者のひとりになった。主催はTammerkoski青年会議所。ここでひとつ、幼いころのキーラの心温まるクリスマスの話を少し。情報を教えてくれた”kiirankaima”さん、ありがとう。

たったひとつクリスマスに欲しいもの

キーラが4歳のときに欲しがった風変わりなクリスマスプレゼントについて、学校と練習で忙しい本人に代わってキーラの母が語ってくれた。

コルピ家にとってクリスマスは、昔から家族全員で過ごし、親戚や友人たちと会う素敵なひとときである。キーラが4歳のとき、家族は短い間トゥルクに引っ越した。クリスマスが近づき、クリスマスに何が欲しいか祖父や親戚たちが電話をしてきた。キーラは絶対に水道の蛇口、自分だけの金色の蛇口が欲しいと告げた。

キーラの願いはみんなの疑問になった。金の蛇口だなんて、こんなリクエストは何がもとになっているのだろうか。おそらく、保育園で保育士たちが子供たちに手を洗うように言う際に、蛇口のことを、より一般的な”hana”という言葉ではなく”kraana”と呼んだからだろう。小さい子供にとって、”kraana”という言葉は”hana”よりはるかに印象的だったし、たぶん保育園の蛇口は旧式のものだったのだろう。誰にもわからないけど。

カラフルなおもちゃのカタログが届き、姉のペトラはその中から何か他のものを選ぶようにキーラを誘ってみた。数週間後、祖母が子供たちに何が欲しいか再び聞いてきたが、カタログに載っているものには興味が引かれなかったキーラは、依然として自分が欲しいのは金の蛇口だけだと告げた。

幸いなことに、水道配管工だった祖父が真鍮製の古い蛇口をなんとか見つけてきた。祖父はその蛇口をピカピカに磨き、発泡スチロールに詰めた。こうして祖母はキーラが熱望したプレゼントを贈ることができた。

クリスマスイブになり、サンタが4歳のキーラにプレゼントをいくつか運んできた。金の蛇口が入ったプレゼントの包みを開けると、残りのプレゼントは開けられなかった。「私の金の蛇口！」冬休み中、キーラはどこへ行くにもその蛇口を持ち歩き、親戚や友人全員に見せびらかした。後に、その蛇口は祖父母が夏に使っている別荘で使われるようになった。

キーラの母はこう付け加えた。キーラの「クリスマスに欲しいものリスト」にあがる物はたいていひとつ。増えることは滅多にないわ。

[/ja]