All I want for Christmas is...peace of mind

Many moons ago when I was young(er), my folks always had me write up a wish list for Santa.  Every year, my brother and I would pour over that list, looking through the Sears Catalog for toys we thought we'd like to have, spend hours drafting the perfect letter to Santa, and then giving the letter to my parents to mail to Santa.  Yet, every #%@#^@#%$!@$ year, we never got what we asked for.  How is it Santa could get it so wrong every single year?!? 

Socks?!?  Underwear?!!!? Pajamas?!??!!  A bugle?!??!?!??!  What in blazes was Santa thinking when he sent me a bugle?!?!?  The thing is that I've never gotten what I've asked for.  In fact, if I want something specific, I have to tell the wife and then, maybe, I'll get something close.  Dang but Santa should been a Librarian.  Had he been a Librarian, I would have gotten exactly what I asked for.  How do I know?!  Well, every time someone comes to my law Library and asks for something, I give it to them.  Aren't all Librarians like that?!  I suspect they are.  In fact, I have no reason to suspect that they aren't.  Librarians always deliver exactly what is wanted.

For example, the other day, a young woman came into our library looking for information on how to prevent her eviction.  OK, what she said was that she wanted to sue her landlord (but what she meant was that she was being evicted).  Sad, sad, sad was she and desperate for assistance.  Quicker than you could say up on the house top, I handed her California Eviction Defense Manual (CEB) and off she went with a smile on her face.  Eat your heart out, Santa.

Then, today, in fact not 65 minutes ago, I had a guy come up to me asking help on how defeat a Summary Judgment Motion.  Seems guy had filed suit against a huge, multi-national corporation and he was looking to take down his Goliath (who had subsequently filed their Summary Judgment motion against his complaint).  Faster than you can say King Wenceslas, I handed him:

• California Summary Judgment (CEB)
• California Forms of Pleading and Practice (Lexis)
• California Civil Practice: Procedure (TR)

and away he went happy as a lark.  See, being a law Librarian lets me do for people what Santa could never do for me - give people exactly what they want.  No lists, no hoping to get what you want and then being disappointed.  Nope, it really gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling down deep knowing I can help people get to where they need to be when they're down in the dumps giving over to despair - and what better time of year to be able to do it! 

So, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy/Merry whatever your proclivity may be and know that if ever you find yourself wanting (or wanting something that Santa didn't get it for you, again), know that your local county law Librarian knows just what and where to go to get what you want and need.  Yeah, we are that good.