“A bird that repeats everything I say”

That’s what I read on the wish slip that I took off the tree this year, and I must admit I was a bit puzzled. Fortunately one of the carers for my eight-year-old elf had seemingly been similarly mystified, and had accordingly noted “plush” on the slip.

So I set off on my explorations – and I was enchanted. There are what are called “talk-back animals” which can repeat back to you anything you say. The huge choice I discovered, to my surprise, didn’t make it any easier to decide. Talk-back hamsters, talk-back reindeer, talk-back mice, talk-back monkeys, … My mission as a temporary Santa Claus, however, quite definitely specified a bird, so I opted for a parrot. In a squeaky voice, the colourful plush bird repeats everything it “hears”, and flaps its wings. I’m sure I would have had a lot of fun with it when I was a kid. The camerawomen and the editor with whom I was taking the picture in front of the Christmas tree were immediately enraptured by the cute toy as well. Finally, we managed to tear ourselves away. Prettily gift-wrapped, it’s now on the way to its new owner.

Last year, I had already had the pleasure of giving my own 9-year-old elf a remote-controlled monster truck. Never in my life had I seen such a cool remote-controlled vehicle. A bilious green, with gigantic tyres and orange-red flames – the red jeep I used to play with when I was a kid paled severely by comparison.

I’m sure that all the elf-brokered presents will make the kids’ eyes light up. That’s what I like so much about this Christmas initiative from Krones: it enables us staff to help ensure that children have a Christmas wish come true, which is an authentic pleasure in itself for us as well.

And possibly my little cousin will find a talk-back parrot under the tree this Christmas too … 😉