Christmas Wish
In the weeks before Christmas the British ambassador in Canada received a phone call from the CBC (CBC Canadian Broadcasting Company, a Canadian TV station). The CBC representative on the other end of the line thanked the ambassador for his prompt arrival at interviews etc, and for a generally good year. The ambassador returned the thanks. The CBC representative then asked the ambassador what he wanted for Christmas.
Thinking that it might be inappropriate for him to accept a gift, the ambassador said that he didn't think that it was a very good idea. However, The CBC representative insisted, and in the end the ambassador said that he wanted a small box of crystallised fruits.
The CBC rep seemed a little puzzled at this answer, but they ended the conversation and the ambassador thought nothing more of it.
Later that month, on Boxing Day, the ambassador was sitting watching the news on TV with his family when he was treated to this item at the end:
"Before Christmas, we asked three
foreign ambassadors what they wanted for Christmas. The French ambassador
said that he wanted world peace and an end to suffering, the German ambassador
said that he wanted a cure for cancer, and the British ambassador said
that he wanted a small box of crystallised fruits...."