Final Entry

    Well, I think I have been delaying writing this last report from Santa's lap because it will mean that Christmas is over! But I know that isn't true because Christmas is never over, for me anyway! It’s really an all year thing!

    The last week before Christmas was a busy one for Santa. It included a couple of nights at The Dare County Center with their toy drive which is always a topnotch production by those folks. We took one shot of a little one who had fallen asleep and I acted like I was asleep also, good picture!

     Santa visited several daycares this last week including the one at Kitty Hawk United Methodist, which is a fave. We got every child but one to sit on my lap and I think with a little more time, I could have gotten her also! I do want to say that Santa has some great friends because his car went dead on Saturday morning and he didn't get it back til the day after Christmas, but thanks to those friends, all on the super nice list, I did not miss an appearance!

      There was one home visit where the littlest one decided he really liked my glasses, so I put them on him, that picture will be in the report also. Some year I am going to have to keep a running total of how many children I get to share Christmas with in a season. Not counting the parade, I think it has to be close to a thousand this year!

     One little guy was wearing a sweatshirt the said:" All I want for Christmas is an official Red Ryder air rifle!" But he decided that what he really wanted was a nerf gun and his sister just wanted an oversized sweatshirt! Then there was the little girl who said all she wanted was for everybody to be kind (me too, Little One!) For herself she would take anything I happened to have! One young man wanted a hose and an adult told me he had been good and he would like a job!  On this same day I had two separate children ask for a rug then I had a young lady ask for a potato, now her younger sister asked for a potato head, which was understandable but a potato?  Under further questioning, she did say she wanted to cut it up and watch it grow!

     Then I had a little girl who asked for a plane big enough to fly all her friends around.  When I asked her who would be flying this plane, she said her Mom.  Obviously this made sense because Moms are the best pilots! Next up was the family where the entire family, all dressed in camo, asked for dirt bikes, even little sis!  There was another little girl, dressed like a princess, who of course wanted an Ariel doll, the Ariel Castle and basically everything Ariel!

     I have to relate the story of one young man who first asked for a BB gun and of course my standard response is to say, “You’ll put your eye out!” but he decided he really wanted a BB gun . . . until he came back a little later told me he really wanted a gun that shot slime . . . then he came back again with another request . . . then (but y’all get the point)  I think he came back a total five times!  I believe the visits only stopped when his folks drug him out of the store!

     One little guy had a request for a pirate hat and a sword while another wanted a trash truck and a train table.  One of the last requests of the season was from the little girl who asked for a little sister but Mom immediately said, “I told you no siblings!”  After a bit of deliberation the little girl decided she wanted a Venus Fly Trap.  I’m not sure what that says about the young ones of today, on one hand a younger sister or on the other a carnivorous plant!

     On Christmas Eve, I had three visits to make, Kill Devil Hills, Manteo and finally Powell’s Point! This meant I traveled up and down the bypass 4 times and what was interesting about that was each time there was less traffic, until on the last trip home, I pretty much had the road to myself!  The last visit was in the country and I parked the van out of sight so as I left the house, it was full dark and I experienced true peace and quiet as I walked back to the car!  It was pretty wonderful!  I did have one visit after Christmas on the 28^th, some grandchildren just arriving at Grandma’s house!  It was a nice long visit and I had a very nice visit with the oldest (girl, 7) asking some great questions:  What’s your favorite ornament on your tree? What’s your favorite Christmas movie? What do you like to do after Christmas?  When I told her I liked to nap a lot but Mrs. Claus said I snored, she said, “you tell Mrs. Claus, I think she is too critical!”  Out of the mouths of babes!

     That pretty much wraps this 2019 Christmas season for this Santa.  Thanks for listening to these stories; I enjoy sharing them with you! Just as I enjoy being lucky enough to be able to make the children happy and help them to share the love that represents Christmas to me!  Until next year travel in Peace and Love, My Friends!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well, I just finished 20+ hours in the big red suit this weekend!  So I'm going to give you a sample of what I heard from the wonderful children! There are a few pictures of them earlier on my timeline, check them out!  The weekend started at Kitty Hawk Kites and went to The Christmas Shop on Black Friday and after that I alternated locations Saturday and finished at The Christmas Shop today!

     One of the first little girls to sit on my lap, asked for a Barbie doll and when I asked her, as I usually do, how many Barbies she had, the reply was a very definite 56!  Another little girl who must have been from the northern provinces asked for a snowboard because she already had skis.  This year, by far the thing most requested is Slime, usually by girls!  One little boy asked for a parrot, a Nerf gun( second most requested item) and a drone.  I had to ask him if he was going to shoot at the parrot with the Nerf gun, but he said no, he was going to shoot at the drone!  the very next young guy wanted an Aircraft Carrier, a toy one he quickly added!  Good thing, wouldn't want to blow the budget on one of those big guys!

      There was someone who wanted to recreate a photo from 10 years ago. I didn't have the heart to tell her I had only been doing the gig at Kitty Hawk Kites for 6 years, but I guess, to some folks all Santas look alike!  There was one little girl wearing a t-shirt that said, "I love my family more than I love Pizza, and I really love pizza!"  A little boy had one that said "Cookie Tester"  Lots of requests for Legos and unicorns again this year.

      One little girl, no, there were two, totally separate requests, hours apart, both girls,  that wanted a frog!  One boy asked for two Nerf guns, so he could give his Dad one, of course!  There was a request for a gift card to Nike and a young lady asked for gift cards to Starbucks and Bed, Bath and Beyond! 

     On Saturday there were two sisters who came together, the youngest one asked for a doll that moves while her older sister, a teenager, asked for Peace on Earth.  If only it were mine to give, she would have it now! Another little one asked for "bath and hair stuff"  There was also someone who asked for a monster truck, black, named Fred!  and another who wanted a Gravedigger monster truck!  This was followed by a little girl who wanted a mermaid Barbie.

     There were several requests for costume, an elf costume, a unicorn costume and a dinosaur costume. Several requests for dinosaurs and when I asked one little guy if he wanted a real one he determined he wanted a stuffed one because he didn't want to have to feed a real one!  A basketball hoop was one request along with a fireball that flies up in the air by itself!  Another little girl asked for a beanbag chair.

   Now there were two very unusual this weekend.  The first one Mom had to explain it to me.  This one girl asked for her class elf for the weekend.  It seems that her Spanish class has an elf that goes home with some one each weekend and that person has to write about the elf's adventures in his journal, in Spanish.  It reminded me of Jimmy's kindergarten class that had a hamster, named Rita, that went home with someone each weekend.  Jimmy loved Rita!

Now it isn't often that Santa hears a gift request for something totally new to him, but I had one boy ask for a toilet paper roll gun!  So after some research I found this:  In a couple of days I will share some of the letters to Santa I got this weekend!  That's it for now from Santa's chair!  Happy shooting!

Christmas Shop in November

The last couple of days Santa has been at The Christmas Shop and I would like to share with y'all some of the requests from the children that stopped to see me. Next week I will be there on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!  One of the first little guys that came by wanted a dirt bike with a gas tank.  When I looked a little puzzled, his Mom explained that having a gas tank would mean it wasn't battery powered.  Slime seems to be very popular this year, in the early going anyway.  I had a young lady that wanted a basketball hoop, she already had a basketball!  Did a set of photos with a couple and a black Scotty dog , all dressed in plaid.  The dog also wore  a set of antlers and still was very well behaved!  I had one little boy, about 3, who wanted a bucket, no explanation was forthcoming because his folks had no idea where that came from!   One of the moments that helped restore my faith in our young people was the teenager that told me what she wanted for Christmas was for the two people who her family drew off the angel tree to have a nice Christmas!

       Since I am in the back room that is Santa filled, ornament, figures, etc. sometimes I will play a little game where I will sit perfectly still until someone walks past me and then I will move, just turn my head or cross my arms.  It frequently will produce an interesting response because they were assuming I was one of the figures.  Today there was a Mom and her daughter who came into the room and walked right past so I just turned my head. Mom was startled but her daughter almost jumped out of her skin!  There was another young lady who wanted an Apple watch but she couldn't explain to me how she would deal with a big red thing on her wrist!

     Every year there are one or two things that happen that really demonstrate the spirit of Christmas to me and really make my season.  Today it started with a little girl about 5 who couldn't get over the fact that Santa was there and she did not know that I was going to be there!  We talked for a bit and she showed me a seashell she had found on the beach today after looking "all day long"! We chatted a bit longer and she suddenly said "Santa, I want you to have this shell!"  Well, I graciously accepted it, since she was demonstrating the spirit of giving by taking this hard-won shell and giving it to someone else!  But that's not all, Folks!

After a bit she and her Mom went on to another room but her Dad, carrying a younger brother was still close to me.  So I called him over and gave him the shell, asking him if he would make sure that this generous little girl got her shell back on Christmas morn!  I suggested that if she left Santa cookies maybe leaving the shell on the plate!  I just wish I could see her face on Christmas day!  And that's one of the reasons I do this!  More from Santa's lap next week!

Belk

Just a short Santa report about today appearance at Belk. We are still moving, even today, and I'm running on fumes! One of the reasons I really love doing this appearance at Belk, even though it is early in the season, is the repeat visitors I get! I have done this particular gig for 5 or 6 years now and I recognize some families from the first time even! Regardless of the weather, we were very busy all afternoon and the folks at Belk had outdone themselves in the way things were set up. The marketing theme was Frozen and we had "Anna" there also, and "Frozen" cupcakes and a station were the kids could make ornaments, and hot chocolate and cookies, of course! So there was a lot going on and excitement ran throughout the store. Of course it was, as always, the children that made it for me, even the 90 year old who sat on Santa's lap and told me she didn't need anything but she would like another year, please, and I hope she gets it! Several little ones told me they wanted presents and I assured them that would happen if they were to behave all the way to Christmas! There were a few refusals but not a lot, mostly boys in the target range 1-3, and one little girl about 4. My favorite was the little girl who came back and gave me a hug about 7 times, maybe more! One little boy made sure I knew that he wanted a Christmas tree! Eventually my favorite extended family came in for their group picture but there weren't as many of them this year. I think there are 4 sisters and their children. Today only 2 of the sisters were present and when I asked , one told me the others had gotten too old. I should have told her about the 90 year old! So that's the tale for today from Santa's lap! I'll have more for you next week!

December 24th

I have had a wonderful time this year bringing the love that I feel is at the heart of this season to about 2-3 thousand children. The thing is each of those children has given it back to me, even those that wouldn't sit on my lap! Sometimes the withdrawal is difficult tho. Christmas Eve and Christmas day can seem empty after the rush of the season coming up to them! I find I need to take steps to combat going down the rabbit hole! Friends have invited us over for breakfast and I am cooking dinner this year. Well, microwaving it, but we will have all the traditional dishes that I love: Turkey, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, & Sweet Potatoes! I also have not opened any of our Christmas cards yet(Yes, I still get some cards each year!) and I plan on reading them all tomorrow afternoon. Then we start another year! Best wishes to all of you who have read this tales, sharing them with y'all is a big part of my enjoyment of the season! May your Christmas be wonderful and may your New Year be happy and bright and full of wonder!

Sunday addendum!

Ok in looking back over what I wrote last night, as a very tired Santa, I found I omitted the real highlight of the week from my account!  You see during the middle night of the Dare Center week, a little girl, about 6 or so, after she got her gifts, turned to me and said , "Santa , I have something for you!"  She dug in her pockets and brought both hands out separately, tightly clinched!  Then she opened them up palm up and showed me that she had, in one hand a bright shinny penny and in the other, the head off a dandelion!  Now I'm sure when she picked it, that the head was open, showing all the bright yellow petals.  No matter because it was her most precious thing and she was giving it to Santa!  "Greater love hath no man!"  I gave her the biggest hug and told her I loved it and her!  The picture shows her treasures!

The week before Christmas!

As you can imagine this last week before Christmas has been a busy one.  In fact this whole season has been a busy one, 49 appearances in all by Santa!  A good portion of this week was spent at the Dare County Center in Manteo helping out with their Toys for Tots program.  They had expanded to  four nights this year but the first night was a party for the teenagers and they had no need for Santa!         Tuesday night we had the 9-12 year olds and though the generosity of Dare County folks and businesses, each of them got a big bag of toys and a tablet.  Now Santa presented these to each one, and to preserve the surprise I made up something about the wrapped package that was the tablet!  For example, the first one I told her she had a treasure map that showed where Blackbeard buried his treasure on Roanoke Island, the second I told him he had rattlesnake eggs and the third one I said there was a book in it with really thin pages so she had to read it really fast!  Anyway, you get the idea, I was having fun with it! And we had over 80 kids that night. 

The next night for 5-8 year olds and each of them through the help of several churches on the Outer Banks received a bike.  It was really special to see the look on these kids’ faces when those bikes came out!  There were about 130 children this night.  The last night was 0-4 year olds and as is common with this group there were a number that refused to have anything to do with Santa.  I have learned not to take it personally.  We had over 100 this night also!  This whole undertaking is managed by Sandy pace and I don’t know how she does it but it goes off without a hitch each year!  Santa also had a harem of three wonderful  ladies who helped with wrangling the children!  In-between  these outings, Santa also did some home visits.

Friday was an interesting day in that I was at a nursing home and a daycare!  I always donate a home visit to the Dare Center and to Surfing for Autism for their silent auctions.  This year the winner of the Dare Center one was one of the couples that works out when I do.  Anyway his Mom is in a nursing home and he asked if I would visit her when the home was having their Christmas party.  Actually I have some history with  this one because 5 years ago I had appeared at their party and his is the nursing home where Mary was when she passed away!  But I agreed to go and it was a wonderful time, warm but wonderful, then I went to the daycare and it was a return trip because I had been there last year!

The week finished up with a gig at Belk which was one of the busiest I’ve had this year.  Lots of kids and pictures!  And some unusual requests too!  One of the first was a policeman costume and her older sister asked for happiness and lots of money.  The Dad asked which of those comes first and the Mom asked for a 24” waist!  Another little one wanted a Super Woman costume but her Mom corrected her and said what she really wanted was a Wonder Woman costume.  Yet another little girl asked for a Barbie house because she had so many Barbies she can’t even count them!  A little guy asked for a submarine and a little girl asked for a tractor, later amended to a tiny one, please!   And lastly I had a request for a vacuum, Pretty sure that’s a first!  Well that’s it for tonight, I was going to go to an ugly sweater party tonight but I’m too tired to get up!  Y’all have a good night!