Dominick - The Italian Christmas Donkey

Ciao a tutti,

What a title, "Dominic - The Italian Christmas Donkey." Now I know some of you know exactly what I am talking about, and some of you think I've lost it for sure. Okay, let's start at the beginning.

I was invited to a party tonight at the home of Karen Brooks. Here she is pictured on the left with a few of her friends. I must have been saying something funny but I don't remember what. To start off with, I knew I would have a great time there because Karen is a real class act and I was sure her friends would be too. And indeed they were.

What I didn't know was that I was to meet some real zingers, or should I say singers. But before I get ahead of myself, I didn't know that I would be eating there too. I had been out to dinner just before I got to the party and was so full. And then I saw this spread on her dining room table. Now Karen is not Italian, and no one at the party was either except me, but the food would make an Italian Mamma proud.

She had pasta, cooked to perfection, and a sun dried tomato dish, a fava bean salad, broccoli with garlic, and the list goes on. She also had some Mediterranean dishes as well, everything of which she made, except the grape leaves, she said honestly. So what does an Italian man do when he is full and can't have another bite? He eats some more, and I did.

I got around getting to know a lot of people and having a good time like these lovely people here. And just as I was about to leave out of nowhere, another room or something, comes this group of partyers that looked like they were having way too much fun without me, so I decided I need to stay and join them.

It didn't take long for the topic of food to come up in our conversation. That should have been my first clue. Then I mentioned my show Filippo and the Chef and when some eyes lit up, I knew I had struck gold.


I said, are any of you Italian? And five people responded, I am, I am. Then they immediately started to tell me how much Italian, which half, and where from. That is so Italian-American, and so endearing. I said, that's it, I have to have a picture of us and I have to blog about this, and here we are.

Then the most interesting thing happened. I honestly don't know how it happened or what sparked it, but all of a sudden as we got ready to pose for the picture we all broke out singing "Dominick The Donkey," in unison. I kid you not. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. Funny enough we all stopped at the same part because none of us knew the words to the rest of the song.

That is a moment I will not soon forget especially since it is a song I probably haven't sung since childhood. Above is a picture of me and my new paisans, and here one of me and the rest of their gang.

By the way, I am wearing a Christmas light scarf I designed for fun that lights up. Surprisingly, it was a such a hit, I actually had a few requests from people who asked me to make them one, including the fashion designer Lisa Arden, who left before I got to take a picture with her. She was wearing a clever decorative Christmas tree type of headdress thing on her head and I figured between her tree and my lights we could have really taken a special picture.

Now as great as receiving one of my lighted Christmas scarfs for Christmas would be, here is an even better gift for all my Italian friends, the lyrics to the song of the hour:

DOMINICK THE DONKEY
(THE ITALIAN CHRISTMAS DONKEY)
by Allen, Merrell, and Saltzberg
Popularized by Lou Monte in 1967

Hey! Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
It's Dominick the donkey.
Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
The Italian Christmas donkey.
(la la la-la la-la la la la la)
(la la la-la la-la la-ree-oh-la)

Santa's got a little friend,
His name is Dominick.
The cutest little donkey,
You never see him kick.
When Santa visits his paisans,
With Dominick he'll be.
Because the reindeer cannot,
Climb the hills of Italy.

Hey! Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
It's Dominick the donkey.
Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
The Italian Christmas donkey.
(la la la-la la-la la la la la)
(la la la-la la-la la-ree-oh-la)

Jingle bells around his feet,
And presents on the sled.
Hey! Look at the mayor's derby,
On top of Dominick's head.
A pair of shoes for Louie,
And a dress for Josephine.
The label on the inside says,
They're made in Brooklyn.

Hey! Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
It's Dominick the donkey.
Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
The Italian Christmas donkey.
(la la la-la la-la la la la la)
(la la la-la la-la la-ree-oh-la)

Children sing, and clap their hands,
And Dominick starts to dance.
They talk Italian to him,
And he even understands.

Cumpares and,
Cumpares too,
They dance la tarantel.
When Santa Nicola comes to town,
And brings lu cuccialrel.

Hey! Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
It's Dominick the donkey.
Gigidy gig,
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
The Italian Christmas donkey.
(la la la-la la-la la la la la)
(la la la-la la-la la-ree-oh-la)

Hey! Dominick! Buon Natale!
(hee-haw, hee-haw)
(hee-haw, hee-haw)

Let the holiday begin,

Filippo

P.S. The gifts keep on coming. Here are some fun Youtube.com videos of people like you and me and my new friends having fun with "Dominick The Donkey" (In English)