# des joujous par milliers



## isaac newton

Hello à tous, 

Je cherche une expression en anglais pouvant connoter notre "pourri-gâté" français,ou une certaine surabondance, opulence. 

Le contexte : en fait je voudrais traduire un article qui dit _"ce fut noël en mai, des joujous par milliers" _

J'ai choisi de mettre directement _"This was christmas in may"_ pour la première partie même si l'expression n'existe sans doute pas, je trouve néanmoins que c'est compréhensible. 

Cependant je ne compte pas traduire littéralement des _"joujous par milliers"_ vu que ce sont les paroles d'un chant de noel français qui à ma connaisance n'existe pas en anglais. 
Ceci dit si quelqu'un connait un chant de noel anglais qui reprend cette idée de joujous par milliers ou d'abondance de bonheur, je prends!

[...] 

In fact this article is a report about a concert I've been asked to do. In french of course it's full of idioms to make it more funny but it's hard to translate. 

Of course there's no real need to translate the idea of christmas, but as the concert was actually in may, and as "noel en mai" is a french idiom to tell about an unexpected good surprise that pops up at an unexpected moment, I thought it would be clear to translate directly "Christmas in may". 

I really don't know if there is any english idiom about the same concept (i mean an unexpected good surprise) but if there were any, i could use it...

Merci d'avance pour votre aide!


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## Carcassonnaise

I can't (off the top of my head) think of a Christmas carol/song that refers to presents or toys in abundance
I might be tempted to translate it with something like "It was Christmas in May and Santa had arrived!"  That may not be sufficiently precise for your context.


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## jetset

It was raining toys ?


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## Carcassonnaise

That's a good suggestion - only thing is it makes me think of the song "It's Raining Men"


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## isaac newton

[and Santa had arrived]
This sounds not so bad, the problem is that this article refers to a concert report and the guys were four, not just one with a red coat and a white beard...But I'll try to find out how to twist this. 

Otherwise, do you know any idiom about abundance or luck like for instance when you find a pirate's treasure or a suitcase full of money bills... something like that...Maybe that could work better...
Thanks anyway!


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## isaac newton

Thanks Jetset!
It was snowing toys? Would it be correct???


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## isaac newton

About "and santa had arrived" isn't there a song that goes "santa claus is coming tonight..." that i could change for "it was christmas in may, santa claus had arrived tonight" ? 
Did you refer to this song when you made the suggestion Carcassonnaise?


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## carog

isaac newton said:


> About "and santa had arrived" isn't there a song that goes "santa claus is coming tonight..." that i could change for "it was christmas in may, santa claus had arrived tonight" ?
> Did you refer to this song when you made the suggestion Carcassonnaise?



I think the song is "Santa Claus is coming to town". Sorry I don't have other suggestions...


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## isaac newton

Ok, I think I have an idea, I need your opinion about it. I recall that the context is an article about a concert, and i was trying to translate "c'état noel en mai, des joujous par milliers". I found the lyrics of santa claus is coming to town on the net, which gave me this idea : 

"This was Christmas in may, rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums". 

Do this sound too childish or don't you think it could picture an idea of a joyful music  party ? 

Do you think the song is famous enough to evocate the idea of santa claus with this only sentence? 

Many many thanks!


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## SunnyS

It was as if Santa had come in May with thousands of toys
we had thousands of toys

...we were showered with thousands of toys

[...]


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## Carcassonnaise

I think the lyrics of the song are probably not sufficiently well known (certainly not outside the US) for your idea to work, isaac, but the song title IS known and you could possibly play with it to give something like  "It was Christmas in May and Santa had come to town!"


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## isaac newton

Thanks Carcassonnaise, I agree with you, i just made researches and it appears that people on forums are divided about this sentence *Rooty Toot Toots and Rummy Tum Tums  *since years!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055199019&page=2

So yes, it's probably not well known enough to work! Too bad, i was pretty proud of my idea...

 I may listen to Sunny and forget all about the christmas idea, especially if the idiom christmas in may is not as crystal clear as the french one.


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## isaac newton

I think i'll just go with your idea, Carcassonnaise, plus mine!  Anyway this translation is actually for US, so i'll just hope they know their classics!
 "It was Christmas in May, rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums : [band name] is coming to town. "
But isn't the present of "is coming" too uncorrect in this context, or is it ok because of the obvious reference of the song?


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## Carcassonnaise

Yes, I would make the "is" "was", isaac!  I think your suggestion is good and neatly ties in with your concert context.


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## isaac newton

Ouf!!! 
So here it is eventually : _[band name]was coming to town_. 
It sounds like an odd grammar construction to me, but I'm sure you're right. 
Thanks again!!!!


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## SunnyS

is this like some rock group?


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## Carcassonnaise

The only thing that occurs on reflection - sorry to sow confusion! - is that this could be ambiguous.  It actually sounds like the actual band is coming to town...  Are they??


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## isaac newton

Ahem...I'm lost and confused now!

Ok : Sunny, yes, some rock group. A bit mystical also, so the santa claus reference is working I think, as the drums and all because they use a million of different little sounds with tiny machines made of thousands buttons!

Caracassonaise : in fact this is a report of a live concert that happened last may, so yes, they were "coming to town" (especially when you know they come from US and Germany). So i guess that if i speak about this last concert saying "it was xmas in may, the band was coming to town" it may doesn't really stand up but it roughly works as it's the beginning of the report....I hope!


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## SunnyS

I don't want to come down on your idea, but...

"It was Christmas in May, rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums : [band  name] came to town.

rooty toot toots? sorry to say this, but unless this matches their kind of music, it will sound silly

"million of different little sounds with tiny machines made of thousands  buttons"

It's hard to imagine if that relates to the rooty or not

"It was Christmas in May, let it play, let it play, let it play - [band  name] had come to town!

(this sounds a bit more "rocky" to me... )


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## isaac newton

Ok, so Sunny you just saved my life from eternal shame I guess. 
I thought it could sound childish but you convinced me there!
Thought in a way, they're quite funny and childish with all their machines...

But still, I can't adopt the _let it play let it play let it play_. 
I don't know...Of course I'm not native, so I can't be objective, but it also sound a bit stupid to me. 
Anyway...a xmas song, how can't it sound NOT stupid?


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## carog

For the phrase "Noël en Mai", isn't there an idiom in English that goes "It's like all Christmases come at once" or something similar? I think it has the same meaning, and at least it would mean something in English? (and sorry to add to the confusion...).


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## isaac newton

_Ohohoh_ (it's not obvious but i do imitate Santa Claus here...)
I love confusion especially when it's for improvement! Does anyone heard about this idiom? I'll make researches...


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## wildan1

Sunny has changed the Christmas reference from the Christmas carol _Santa Claus is Comin' to Town_ to a love song about a snowstorm that is sometimes associated with Christmas--_Let it Snow!_ The refrain of that song is_ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..._

It doesn't sound so stupid to me... as long as you are sure your audience is clear on these references.


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## isaac newton

Hum. I can only find references to this quote "Chritsmas comes but once in a year" which i could transform in "it's like Christmas came but twice in a year". 
But it's doesn't sound very brilliant to me. Indeed, if_ "it's like all christmases come at once"_ is regularly used, it could be better. 

At Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year
~Thomas Tusser


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## Carcassonnaise

To be honest (final word here  ) if your band IS literally coming to town, I think everything conveyed in the source sentence is transferred by "It was Christmas in May - X was coming to town!"...
I have heard the expression "It's like Christmas and birthday all rolled into one" or "Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled into one" but can't think what the Christmases all at once is....
A vous de juger! Bonne chance


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## isaac newton

Ok, well I need to hold fast, so I'll keep trying. 

Would anyone be kind enough to judge (even very badly) those two ideas, still based on the _"santa claus is coming to town"_ song? 

1. It was Xmas in May, with little tin horns and little toy drums, [band name]was coming to town (too childish? reference not clear enough?)


2. It was Xmas in May, so you better not pout 
I'm telling you why , [band name]was coming to town...


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## Bookmom

How about a line from the song "Jingle Bell Rock: "It was Christmas in May, time to rock the night away: [band name] came to town.

I missed your last two ideas while I was posting.  Not bad!


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## isaac newton

Dear Bookmom, _time to rock the night away_

I LOVE it! 

Thanks thanks thanks. 
Well, thanks to everyone in fact. 
You're my xmas in June! How would I have figured it out all alone???


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## Carcassonnaise

Oh dear, I know I said I was going to stop but... at the risk of upsetting your applecart, isaac, I really think it's a bit much to mix TWO references to two different Christmas songs, no?  Also doesn't it have to be "X was coming to town?"


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## Bookmom

isaac newton said:


> Dear Bookmom, _time to rock the night away_
> 
> I LOVE it!
> 
> Thanks thanks thanks.
> Well, thanks to everyone in fact.
> You're my xmas in June! How would I have figured it out all alone???



We're all in this together, that's what makes it fun to ride this bus


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## isaac newton

_I really think it's a bit much to mix TWO references to two different Christmas songs, no? _

Ouch...Hit and sink!

Never mix too many references...
Ok, I think I'll just crush my head againt a wall for a few hours and then I'll get back with brilliant new ideas. Hopefully. 

Thanks again!


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## Bookmom

isaac newton said:


> _I really think it's a bit much to mix TWO references to two different Christmas songs, no? _
> 
> Ouch...Hit and sink!
> 
> Never mix too many references...
> Ok, I think I'll just crush my head againt a wall for a few hours and then I'll get back with brilliant new ideas. Hopefully.
> 
> Thanks again!



Where are the two song references?  Christmas in May or June or July or any other month is used in AE very often, we absolutely understand it to mean a windfall, unexpected arrival of something really good...the news will often say that it was Christmas in whatever month someone happens to win a large lottery prize.  That isn't a song reference.


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## isaac newton

Well, it's not about this part, it because it was supposed to say in the end of the sentence : It was Christmas in May, time to rock the night away, _[band name] was coming to town_. 
wich is a reference to _SC is coming to town. _
But maybe  I can just drop the end of it.


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## Bookmom

isaac newton said:


> Well, it's not about this part, it because it was suppoded to say in the end of the sentence : It was Christmas in May, time to rock the night away, _[band name] was coming to town_.
> wich is a reference to _SC is coming to town. _
> But maybe  I can just drop the end of it.



I get it, I would just say came to town.


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## carog

isaac newton said:


> Well, it's not about this part, it because it was supposed to say in the end of the sentence : It was Christmas in May, time to rock the night away, _[band name] was coming to town_.
> wich is a reference to _SC is coming to town. _
> But maybe  I can just drop the end of it.




Your original title doesn't mention the band, so I think this is a good option.


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## isaac newton

Ok, thank you everyone !!!


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