Black Friday, 2016

Just finished a 4 hour gig as Santa at Kitty Hawk Kites, and I’m still pumped up.   The best gigs do that for me, being able to interact with the kids just makes my day!  I told someone that I have done a couple of adult Christmas parties but they are just not my thing.  It is being with the children that lights my fire.  I know I am not the best looking Santa, there all others who carry the visual image much better than I.  There are also many who sound more like Santa, with a deep, “Ho, ho, ho!”    But I don’t think anyone is any better at interaction and establishing  contact with individual children than I am!  It is kind of when I come alive!

On to the important part of this post: what Santa heard from the little ones!  We had probably 200 kids over the 4 hours and they were nicely spread out so there were never more than 3 or 4 families in line and there was never a long gap without anyone coming in.  There were the usual requests for dump trucks, red, blue, and yellow in color.  Legos are still popular for building, and I did get 2 requests for clay which was a first!  Doll babies are still in demand, especially Barbies and American Girl dolls.  Though no one was close to the little girl from last year who told me she had 25 Barbies!  Many wanted stuffed animals, cats, dogs, unicorns, one horse and a Panda Bear!

Santa’s Band, which you may remember from previous years, acquired several new members today: guitar, violin, and a clarinet, which was a first for this Santa.  One little guy wanted a tractor with a back hoe and another wanted a bow and arrow AND a crossbow.  Guess he was looking to do some damage but I told him he would put his eye out just like I tell all those that want a BB gun.  A little boy 3 or 4 asked for a chainsaw so he could help his Father clean up things, I think maybe one of those toy chain saws is called for here! Today at least, there wasn’t much call for electronics; only one each, phone, tablet and computer!  However, Pokémon was in demand, several request for the new Pokémon Moon game!

Several brought letters with them and I did as I usually do and had them read the letters to me out loud so that Mom & Dad could keep the letter!  One young man told me before he read the letter that he only wanted 40 or so and after he read the letter I understood what he meant.  In third place on his list he had written “1000 baseball cards of various players from various teams from various countries and various continents”

One item I’m trying to be very wary of  is the “Hatchables or Hatchimals” They are this year’s “Cabbage Patch kids”!  A toy in high demand and short supply, so if a child requests one I tell them it is in short supply and I have the elves working 24 hours a day on them and I can’t promise that they will get them but I’ll try my best!  As I was explaining this to a wee one, I saw her Mother nodding in agreement behind her!  Had two requests for trains, one boy and one girl.

Now there were some memorable requests today that I want to share with you.  One little girl, part of a family of 4 girls, concluded her requests with, “and a Broom”  Since this was a first for me, I checked to make sure that was what she said and she was positive.  I’m not sure but maybe she needed one to sweep up after her sisters.  I had a middle schooler who wanted nothing but books; she told me she had read 146 books last year, amazing!  Then I had the little girl who wants a PINK kayak!  Another first in my book!  There was a little girl who asked for snorkeling gear because she was going on a cruise for her birthday in early January.

And finally, my current all-time favorite request came from a little girl about 5 or 6 who asked for a robot!  I know, it doesn’t seem unusual; after all there were several others who asked for remote controlled things like helicopter, cars, etc.  But when I asked her what she wanted to do with the robot, her answer took the prize.  She said she wanted to use the robot to get snacks that she couldn’t reach!  And that’s today’s report from the North Pole!

PS, I forgot about the 8 year old who asked for a passport, when I asked her why, she said she wanted to go to California!
I explained she didn't need a passport to go to California but she would need one to go to Florida!