Sign of the Times

Okay, here's a bonus Christmas Song Video.  But it's just too joyous not to include.  You may well have seen it already yourself, because I suspect it's the kind of thing that's getting sent around a lot.

An adorable 5-year-old, Claire Koch, attends kindergarten at a KODA school (kids of deaf adults).  The class performs a bunch of Christmas songs, but young Claire one-ups them.  She decided to use sign-language so that her father could follow the performance.  (Her mother can lip-read, but not her dad.)  They had no idea that she was going to do this.  And she looks to be seriously wonderful at it.

(Given all the attention the news story about the bizarre non-signing "signer" has gotten at Nelson Mandela's memorial service, you watch this video and can only think -- a) they should have hired Claire Koch, and b) this is the sign language story that should be getting all the attention.)

This is a medley of songs -- even a Hanukkah song! -- but only on one of them ("Rudolph") do all the other kids also sign along all the way through, and even there Claire's enthusiasm overshadows them.  On the other numbers, it's her alone, signing and singing for her unsuspecting parents.  You can tell she knows where they are sitting and recording this, and often plays right to them, making sure they and especially her dad can see it all.  You can only imagine their joy and pride.  But watching this little girl, you get the idea that this may be par for the course. 

And by thew way, when I say "enthusiasm," that doesn't do it justice.  She is giving that little girl in the AT&T ad a run for her money in the Cutest Kid contest.  (And it's in kindergarten, too.)  In fact, she may well be tied with Jennifer Lawrence for "most utterly adorable goofball blonde."

I won't have to point out which one she is.  You'll know.  Oh, my, yes, you'll know...