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People

With Christmas around the corner, comic Chris Rock’s daughters have a tall order on their wish list – a visit to the White House.

“His girls are a little older than mine,” said Rock about President-elect Barack Obama’s daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. “My girls want a playdate. They look at the youngest and they’re like, ‘We can play with her, Daddy.’ We’ll see.” While Rock works on making that happen, he made a wish come true for a group of tots from the East Side Settlement House Friday night when he took time out from his busy schedule to read Pinkalicious at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. And reading the tale, about a girl who eats so many pink cupcakes that she wakes up with pink skin and hair, was a piece of cake. “It’s my daughter’s Zahra’s favorite book,” the actor said of his four-year-old.

As for his holiday plans, Rock, who also has a daughter, Lola, 6, looks forward to spending Christmas at his mom’s home in South Carolina now that he’s a family man.

“Christmas (as an adult) before I had my kids was so uneventful,” said Rock. “They were basically like, ‘Argh, I wish this Christmas thing would be over so I can get back to work.’ But now I love the ritual of it. I love the ‘are they asleep yet?’ I love playing Santa.”

By Ivory Jeff Clinton