As Saturday started, Santa received a message from a friend that her two little girls would like to see him. Well, the day was packed, but Santa came up with a way they could get together on the Manteo waterfront and the weather cooperated. So Santa was able to get some pictures with two beautiful girls in pink dresses and bare feet! And their Mom, it was the perfect ending to a great day wearing the Red!
Yes, Santa, I have been good!
One of my alltime favorite Santa pictures!
Monday, December 25, 2017
December 23, 2017, Part 2
Santa is breaking up this final post into sections because there are several pictures I want to share with y'all. Of Saturday Santa's day started with a home visit to one of his favorite littles that he has know since she was born: And she had several friends too: From there Santa went to visit two of his favorite neighbors:
December 23, 2017 Part 1
Christmas Day seems appropriate for the last entry for this season! It has been probably my busiest season with about 40 appearances overall! As I reflect back on the times I have worn the big red suit, I feel, more than ever, the responsibility I bear when I am wearing it to bring joy to as many of our youngest and most vulnerable as possible. These last few days have really brought that home to me, so here is what Santa did to bring his season to a close.
On Friday, I visited a daycare to have fun with 15 little ones. It was a really good time and my favorite memory is of sitting with a little girl talking about what she wanted and she told me she wanted a blue baby doll. Her Mom was right there and the look on her face was as puzzled as mine. So I asked the little girl why she wanted a blue doll and there was no specific answer so I suggested she get a baby doll and name it Blue. This seemed to satisfy her and Mom breathed a sigh of relief since she wouldn't have to find a blue doll! Here's a picture of some of the group:
On Friday, I visited a daycare to have fun with 15 little ones. It was a really good time and my favorite memory is of sitting with a little girl talking about what she wanted and she told me she wanted a blue baby doll. Her Mom was right there and the look on her face was as puzzled as mine. So I asked the little girl why she wanted a blue doll and there was no specific answer so I suggested she get a baby doll and name it Blue. This seemed to satisfy her and Mom breathed a sigh of relief since she wouldn't have to find a blue doll! Here's a picture of some of the group:
December 20, 2017
Yes, I know, no recent posts about Santa's adventures. Well, that's not because he has been loafing. Over the last three evenings, Santa has been working with Toys for Tots at the DCC and serving 480 children of Dare County. Monday was the littlest ones, 0-4. A lot of screamers but some real sweethearts too. Pictures will be coming out on the DCC Facebook page soon. Tuesday night was 5-8 year olds and they were mostly very cooperative as the picture will show! Each one got a bike and that made for some big smiles! Santa reminded each one to be sure and wear their helmet while riding.
Tuesday Santa also had a great experience at Food Dudes, having lunch with a friend and one of the female staff walked out carrying a toddler. When he saw me and had "the look" I offered him a candy cane, Santa carries a bagful this time of year! About 3 minutes later she came back in with him and told me her husband was the owner of Food Dudes and had told her to get a picture. So we sat the little guy on my lap and got the picture you see herehttps://www.facebook.com/146541977662/photos/a.10150430870727663.369401.146541977662/10155543331827663/?type=3&theater
A little later a young mother with a little girl and her parents came in and sat beside us. Of course, I gave her a candy cane and a little later a sticker and she flirted with me throughout the meal. When it came time for the check, the waitress came over, BTW we had wonderful service, and told us that our lunch had been taken care of! I was very pleasantly surprised that the Grandfather had picked up our check, a very generous gift for Santa during this season!
But I digress, Tuesday night I had agreed to serve as Santa for the hospital's event at the Elizabethan Gardens and they needed me at 7. While taking care of the kids at DCC, I was keeping one eye on the clock and it was approaching seven at about 6:50 we handed out the last gift bag and bike and I was off. 6:57 into the car and ready to head to the north end of the island.
Of course I feel in behind someone who went 25 all the way through Manteo. No I didn't try to pass him but I was tempted! Anyway I got to the Gardens just slightly late. It was a very fun event with lots of kids, some from previous years also
Tonight was the older kids at DCC 9-16 and through the funds raised, brand new tablets were purchased for each11-16 registered. Tonight I decided to have a lot of fun with the kids and as each one came to sit of my lap, I would ask them what they thought might be in the package, then I would proceed to spin a yarn about what was in it( a box of pancake mix, the treasure of the Sierra Madre( and of course they had no idea what that was) The complete works of the 3 Stooges( again no idea) and my personal favorite, Trained racing cockroaches!
After I got the proper reaction, I would confess it was a tablet. A couple I had to have them open the gift so they could see I was right after all! All in all a real fun evening
Tuesday Santa also had a great experience at Food Dudes, having lunch with a friend and one of the female staff walked out carrying a toddler. When he saw me and had "the look" I offered him a candy cane, Santa carries a bagful this time of year! About 3 minutes later she came back in with him and told me her husband was the owner of Food Dudes and had told her to get a picture. So we sat the little guy on my lap and got the picture you see herehttps://www.facebook.com/146541977662/photos/a.10150430870727663.369401.146541977662/10155543331827663/?type=3&theater
A little later a young mother with a little girl and her parents came in and sat beside us. Of course, I gave her a candy cane and a little later a sticker and she flirted with me throughout the meal. When it came time for the check, the waitress came over, BTW we had wonderful service, and told us that our lunch had been taken care of! I was very pleasantly surprised that the Grandfather had picked up our check, a very generous gift for Santa during this season!
But I digress, Tuesday night I had agreed to serve as Santa for the hospital's event at the Elizabethan Gardens and they needed me at 7. While taking care of the kids at DCC, I was keeping one eye on the clock and it was approaching seven at about 6:50 we handed out the last gift bag and bike and I was off. 6:57 into the car and ready to head to the north end of the island.
Of course I feel in behind someone who went 25 all the way through Manteo. No I didn't try to pass him but I was tempted! Anyway I got to the Gardens just slightly late. It was a very fun event with lots of kids, some from previous years also
Tonight was the older kids at DCC 9-16 and through the funds raised, brand new tablets were purchased for each11-16 registered. Tonight I decided to have a lot of fun with the kids and as each one came to sit of my lap, I would ask them what they thought might be in the package, then I would proceed to spin a yarn about what was in it( a box of pancake mix, the treasure of the Sierra Madre( and of course they had no idea what that was) The complete works of the 3 Stooges( again no idea) and my personal favorite, Trained racing cockroaches!
After I got the proper reaction, I would confess it was a tablet. A couple I had to have them open the gift so they could see I was right after all! All in all a real fun evening
Food Dudes Kitchen
🎅🏻 is getting ready to travel the world soon, but first he needed a southwest steak wrap before he starts loading the sleigh 
🛷 
😊 #fooddudeskitchen #
🎅🏻 is getting ready to travel the world soon, but first he needed a southwest steak wrap before he starts loading the sleigh 🛷 😊 #fooddudeskitchen #
Decemder 17, 2017, Part 2
Sunday’s Santa adventure started at Bluewater with a crowd of kids which was great! Mostly small ones 2-3 years which is the danger zone but it went pretty well, though there was one little girl who would never get close enough for a picture and I tried all my tricks. Santa has to have a thick skin and short memory sometimes. I worked on several for a long time and they all came over or got pictures on the move with Santa. I will include a picture I got from one little one and my favorite request was the little girl who said she wanted a dinosaur and when I asked what kind of dinosaur she said a purple one! Silly me! Perhaps the nicest thing about living in a small town (and during the winter, the OBX are a small town) is the fact you get to see some of the kids grow up! As I was preparing to leave some folks were coming in from the Candy Bomber at the airport. I don’t know how they organize it out there and I only see the end result, but very few of the little ones I see get any candy. It all seems to go to the big kids, at least my crowd thinks so!
Then I was off to The Christmas Shop and a big crowd awaited Santa there. Again some folks from the Candy Bomber and some who came specifically the real Santa! The setup at The Christmas Shop is one of the best I work. Each child gets a small bag with candy cane, ornament, sticker and jingle bell! I heartily recommend y’all check it out next year! Had a little one with a list that looked like gibberish but he read it all to me, at least all of it minus one even he couldn’t figure out! And this gig finished with a picture of Lamby all dressed up! You can see that picture on my page! And a few others, Thanks Bill Hinkle!
Now home to do a few video calls with the Talk to Santa program. I get some really interesting questions on these calls. Tonight I talked to children from Oklahoma,, NY, Maryland, CA, and Montreal! I was asked how deep the snow was at the North Pole( twice), how many elves I had(3 times), what the reindeers favorite food was, how I saw them, and what my father’s name was! The best requests was for a 3D printer so she could make fidgets and sell them at school. Watch out for this girl, she is going to be a millionaire by 25! Good night all!
Then I was off to The Christmas Shop and a big crowd awaited Santa there. Again some folks from the Candy Bomber and some who came specifically the real Santa! The setup at The Christmas Shop is one of the best I work. Each child gets a small bag with candy cane, ornament, sticker and jingle bell! I heartily recommend y’all check it out next year! Had a little one with a list that looked like gibberish but he read it all to me, at least all of it minus one even he couldn’t figure out! And this gig finished with a picture of Lamby all dressed up! You can see that picture on my page! And a few others, Thanks Bill Hinkle!
Now home to do a few video calls with the Talk to Santa program. I get some really interesting questions on these calls. Tonight I talked to children from Oklahoma,, NY, Maryland, CA, and Montreal! I was asked how deep the snow was at the North Pole( twice), how many elves I had(3 times), what the reindeers favorite food was, how I saw them, and what my father’s name was! The best requests was for a 3D printer so she could make fidgets and sell them at school. Watch out for this girl, she is going to be a millionaire by 25! Good night all!
December 17, 2017
I forgot something that happened to Santa yesterday which I wanted to add. After he had the twin girls in the car, their father came back and said to me, "I just wanted to say, you are the best Santa I have ever seen!" That warmed Santa's heart a lot! It is nice to know that folks feel that way about him. To paraphrase a friend who is also a Santa, I don't try to be the best Santa in the world, but I do try to be the best Santa I can be! And it's nice to know that it is appreciated!
December 16, 2017
Well, today started early: 8:15 at the Nag’s Head Fire House with a breakfast with Santa for the families of all the firefighters. The room was full and Santa had a great time with all the kids including the twin sons of one of the teachers at FFHS! The best part was there were no refusals, one little girl was too shy to come up at first but when she saw what a great time her sister had, she decided she needed to come see Santa!
Next stop was The Children’s Museum and Santa for the children with Special Needs, obviously a cause close to my heart! Last year we had a very small turnout so we weren’t sure what to expect this year. Well, we need not have worried because the room was full in no time and a great time was had by all, including Santa. It was pretyy close to bedlum according to the photographer and I’m paraphrasing here , he had been in quieter dance bars! One little guy was so excited that he ran over to me and started telling me how he had just seen the big, blue boat he wants at Wal-Mart! I had to explain that gifts don’t come until Christmas eve because he was sure I could go right up there and get it for him now! Again, I’m pretty sure we got every child in Santa’s lap at this site!
Santa’s next stop was at Absolutely Outer Banks new store just down the road a bit. This was a fundraiser for SPCA and dogs were welcome for pictures! We did a total of 4 dogs, from a miniature to a Golden! There were also a few kids that came including a delightful pair of twin girls, one of whom asked for a Flamingo, another first for this year! Santa also got his picture taken with Doris the stuffed pink pig who was in a dress! I guess she travels a lot and gets her picture taken, I saw one of her at Bodie Island Light!
Then it was off to a private party with a family from Richmond who had rented a place on the beach with 18 bedrooms and filled all of them. Several little ones between 1 and 2 and of course the odds held up and only one of them came to Santa’s lap willingly! It is the age! Great folks tho!
Last stop of the day was at the Dare County Dance concert at Manteo High School and the auditorium was packed! After the show Santya was to give each little dancer a gift and have his picture taken with them individually! That was tricky because we did it onstage and as each came up I had to find who was taking pictures of that one and focus on them, I finally started asking, “Where’s your Momma?” Just to facilitate the process. One of them gave me a small Santa and the most unusual thing to happen was one little girl gave me her binky and when I tried to give it back her Mom said, “No, she is giving it up for good now!” So Santa was assisting in the process of growing up and that’s perfectly ok by me! Good night all!
Next stop was The Children’s Museum and Santa for the children with Special Needs, obviously a cause close to my heart! Last year we had a very small turnout so we weren’t sure what to expect this year. Well, we need not have worried because the room was full in no time and a great time was had by all, including Santa. It was pretyy close to bedlum according to the photographer and I’m paraphrasing here , he had been in quieter dance bars! One little guy was so excited that he ran over to me and started telling me how he had just seen the big, blue boat he wants at Wal-Mart! I had to explain that gifts don’t come until Christmas eve because he was sure I could go right up there and get it for him now! Again, I’m pretty sure we got every child in Santa’s lap at this site!
Santa’s next stop was at Absolutely Outer Banks new store just down the road a bit. This was a fundraiser for SPCA and dogs were welcome for pictures! We did a total of 4 dogs, from a miniature to a Golden! There were also a few kids that came including a delightful pair of twin girls, one of whom asked for a Flamingo, another first for this year! Santa also got his picture taken with Doris the stuffed pink pig who was in a dress! I guess she travels a lot and gets her picture taken, I saw one of her at Bodie Island Light!
Then it was off to a private party with a family from Richmond who had rented a place on the beach with 18 bedrooms and filled all of them. Several little ones between 1 and 2 and of course the odds held up and only one of them came to Santa’s lap willingly! It is the age! Great folks tho!
Last stop of the day was at the Dare County Dance concert at Manteo High School and the auditorium was packed! After the show Santya was to give each little dancer a gift and have his picture taken with them individually! That was tricky because we did it onstage and as each came up I had to find who was taking pictures of that one and focus on them, I finally started asking, “Where’s your Momma?” Just to facilitate the process. One of them gave me a small Santa and the most unusual thing to happen was one little girl gave me her binky and when I tried to give it back her Mom said, “No, she is giving it up for good now!” So Santa was assisting in the process of growing up and that’s perfectly ok by me! Good night all!
Monday, December 11, 2017
December 10, 2017
- Today was a good day for Santa. Jimmy and I went to church and it was a combined service for the Christmas Cantata which was very nice! Then it was Brunch with Santa at Bluewater and when I walked into the dining room there, it was full of at least a dozen kids... and their parents and grandparents too, of course, but Santa tends to focus on the little ones! Of course there was this one absolutely stunning brunette single Mom there, but Santa hardly noticed! So I immediately started circulating and touched bases with all of my primary audience! Eventually almost all had their pictures taken with Santa and told me what they wanted for Christmas! This is what I heard: one young man wanted a robot that would bring him candy, another wanted a gumball machine, a couple wanted fancy cars and I explained that the cars I bring are 2 inches long. A little girl wanted a guitar, a harmonica, bagpipes and a banjo! Guess she is going to be a one girl band, she did say she knew how to play the guitar! The most endearing moment of the day was brought by the little girl who, with her Mom's help, sang Santa a Christmas song in Polish!
Then it was on to The Christmas Shop where Santa greeted many children who came to visit including one little guy, son of a good friend, who just missed me at Bluewater but followed him to The Christmas shop. Had one little guy who wanted a complete dinosaur skeleton! The day finished with a visit to Faith Baptist Church, where Santa was able to greet many friends of long standing, including one young lady with a sweater that had a Naughty/Nice sign that Santa put half and half! One little girl would have been content to sit on my lap and talk all evening. Her Mom says Santa is her daughter's celebrity crush! And on that note I will close for tonight!
December 9, 2017
- And here's what happened to and around Santa today. The day started early at the Mane and Taill fundraiser up at B.K. Shuckers at 8am which meant Santa was up before 6 on a Saturday. The weather was frightful, but no snow just rain and clouds! I remember looking at my watch at 8:05 and the next time I looked at it, it read 9:56. I had no idea where the 2 hours went! It was a wonderful time with visits with families I had seen in previous years and some new ones too!
Then... it was on to Southern Crossing for the FFHS Journalism department fundraiser where we started a little slowly but it picked up after 1pm and the room was very seldom empty after that. The group did an excellent job taking pictures and the families all seemed satisfied with the experience! Again there were some folks Santa had seen before and I had a great time with the Tyson Family especially! Santa's day closed with a visit to The Laughing Lollipop in downtown Manteo! This is one of several locally owned businesses that are providing an important service in Manteo! It was a nice lowkey way to end Santa's day. I had a chance to get to know and interact with the owners of the shop!
There were many children that sat on Santa's lap today and told him their fondest wishes or not! And Santa loved everyone of them! Here are the highlights: Legos and Barbies were very popular today, with Minecraft definitely in the mix. Santa was also asked for two separate pogo sticks, a motorcycle, a surfboard and a fishing rod! There was also a request for a flying bat and a drum set, which drew a response from Mom of, "Call me on that one, Santa!" The young fellow replied "you know I won't play early in the morning" and Mom just nodded her head! But by far, Santa's favorite request was the little girl who asked for a reindeer suit! When asked who was her favorite reindeer she replied, " Pete!" "Pete?" I asked. "Pete" was the answer!
That's all, Folks!
December 8, 2017
- Two short notes from today's gig at Monkey Business: One little guy with a sister explained he didn't care what presents he got as long as I didn't bring him any girlie gifts! And another young man spent several minutes describing the BB gun he wanted, complete with "telescope" and pump action handle. Oh, and make sure it doesn't shoot those plastic bullets either!
December 6, 2017
- Well, in case you were wondering what Santa has been up to, here's how the week has gone. . . so far! Monday I did two home visits and had a great time doing it! Tuesday started with breakfast with Santa at the Dare Center and there were over a dozen little ones there for pancakes, sausage, and pictures. And they were all in that tricky toddler age group where they are as likely to scream as sit in Santa's lap, but I think we got pictures with all of them! Tuesday evening Santa met with Bonnie Bennett's Friends of Children group and I helped hand out gifts. One fellow told me he wanted a pressure washer!
Today, Santa went on a road trip to Murfreesboro to visit Riverview Elementary and have his picture taken with about 250 kids! Michelle (Margaret) Smith is teaching over there and she called to ask if I could come over and after adjusting the date and time Santa made it work! It's only 120 miles over there and the kids were great! One little girl did ask for a perfume maker which was very interesting. After Santa got home and finished the laundry from Saturday he finished the tree and hung the backdrop for the video conferences coming up! Now Santa is enjoying the Pentatonix Christmas special. Wow they are so good! Now to see what tomorrow brings!
Monday, December 4, 2017
December 3, 2017
- Wow, that was a long day. Eight straight hours in the suit, broken up by two bathroom breaks and two car trips from place to place. Started at Pamlico Jack's with breakfast with Santa 9-1, then down the road to Bluewater for Brunch with Santa1-3 then over to Elizabeth's Tea Garden for Tea with Santa 3-5. Santa does not eat in the suit so he saw a lot of food but didn't eat til he got home!
Santa saw some of his favorite children today including some that he got advance inf...o on and it is always fun to know something about the kids and watch their faces when you tell them their teacher's name and what they have asked for previously! And just seeing the same ones each year and seeing them grow is so much fun!
There were lots of Barbies in the lists today, along with Nerf guns and Lego sets! But there were a few one of a kind requests, like the little girl that asked for a horse and when asked where she would keep it replied, "My room" asked if her parents knew she just shrugged. On the subject of Barbies, I always ask on any request if they have any Barbies already and one youngster said "oh yes I have fifteen hundred Barbies!"
One child asked for snow for Christmas, because we never get snow here! There was a request for a REALLY long gun, I guess she meant a rifle and another for a fishing reel and two types of 6 pound fishing line. He was fishing for Drum!
There were several requests for Hoverboards and one little girl with a cast on her arm that told me she broke it on a Hoverboard! Be careful what you wish for, I guess. Scooters are popular again this year and bikes, of course, especially dirt bikes. I always tell them they have to wear a helmet and most tell me they already have one or they add it to their list. However I had one little guy tell me he didn't like to wear a helmet because it made his head "floppy"!
Santa had one young lady ask for a big, big castle in her front yard, hope it's a big yard! And another asked for a piano, which she doesn't know how to play, yet!
This however was my favorite list of the day:
Marshmallow gun
100 pieces of candy
Flik scooter(pink)
narwhal(rainbow-shiny white horn)
The photo was including with her list, the second best list I am including a picture of and as you can see it is from a very contrite young lady.
The day concluding with an extended conversation with three youngsters 6-9 years old with lots of questions, i.e. What do you pay your elves? Do you have a picture of Mrs. Claus on your phone? Who is your oldest elf? What did you do before you became Santa Claus?(all of which I answered) "Housing and food and time off, no, Moses, and I don't remember a time when I wasn't Santa Claus!"- The last question was "Do you fart?" to which I replied, "You will have to ask Mrs. Claus the next time you see her"!
That's all, Folks!
December 2, 2017
- The next event for Santa today was at Manteo Elementary where we did pictures for the PTO and Santa got a chance to ask the kids what they wanted for Christmas. Today there were some interesting answers to that question! For example when I asked one little girl, she replied water . . . lots of water. Her parents seemed as puzzled as I was. Maybe she wants her own ocean! I also had my first request for an iPhone X.
As usual there were lots of Lego requests, including one... for a Lego Fish Camp! One little bouncy guy decided he wants a pogo stick, which seemed a good fit for him! Had some of Santa's favorite people come see him today and y'all know who you are! There was a little girl who asked for a pony but when I asked her where she would put it, she said in the garage! Santa didn't think that was a good plan so I asked her what was second on her list and , as many others before her she wanted a baby doll!
One young lady asked for a microphone and when I asked what she wanted it for, she told me it was so she could sing, obviously! But she wouldn't sing Me a song! Here was a request I haven't had before, a little boy wanted a hand measurer! Don't know if I have seen one of those, yet! But he was very clear that's what he wanted at the top of his list. His folks said they have no idea where that came from either. Shortly thereafter another young man asked for a remote controlled snake and a remote controlled spider! Not sure who he is after, but they better watch out!
Then there was the little guy who wanted a Santa Claus toy so he could think of Santa all day! The last tale for tonight was the young lady who wanted a figure from My Little Pony and then proceeded to tell me a long involved story about her and the ponies in My Little Pony! It was a good story but very long! Santa also got his picture taken with two cats tonight at the fundraiser for FFHS journalism department at Southern Crossing And that's a first for two cats and these two behaved very well tho, they weren't especially happy!
And that's all for tonight folks, but there will be more tomorrow!
December 2, 2017-Parade
- Today was the parade and I think it is Santa's favorite event that he does each year! There are so many kids that Santa gets to interact with during the parade that it is almost overwhelming. Again I apologize to any adult friends I may not have waved at but my eyes are on the children on this morning! I really try to make eye contact with every single child on the parade route and believe me that is not easy! Especially during the downtown section of the parade!
It was f...un having the Manteo High Marching band right in front of the firetruck I was riding in because I was able to react to the music. I won't say dance but I could bounce and bob! Note in the pictures the ride I had to get from Manteo Elementary School to where the fire truck was parked at the high school. She has been my chauffeur for the last few years and it has been great! We always ride through the parking lot at the high school and Santa gets to wave at all of the kids on the various floats or in the many marching unit! One of my favorite moments was when we were stopped along the route and a young girl called up to me asking me to "Dap" which is a move done with your head and both arms. So I did and she told me it made her day! After the parade end over near COA, my ride picked me up and took me back to the grade school. Next post I'll tell y'all about how the visits went at MES and Southern Crossing!
Saturday, December 2, 2017
December 1, 2017
- Tonight was the big tree lighting in Manteo and Santa was there. There was a huge crowd and everyone had a great time! After all the wonderful performances and the Christmas tree lights coming on, all the children were invited to come upstairs and talk to Santa and a lot of them did, over 150 anyway!
Here's what Santa heard in terms of wishes tonight: Legos and Nerf guns still lead the parade in term of most desired gifts. One little guy wanted his Dad's truck and his Dad's boat, when I asked what Dad was going to do then, he did say he would share with him, so get in line, Dad, you will have to take your turn when it comes around! One little girl wanted a live horse and when I asked her where she was going to put it, she said, "My back yard!" further questioning revealed she wasn't sure how big her backyard was because she couldn't remember how long it took to walk across it. This was one for further pondering, I'm afraid! There was a request for a turtle she could ride, guess she had been to the aquarium! And a request for a dolphin! Several Barbies were requested and skateboards and bikes are always favorites with the occasional unicorn. Did have a request for a telescope tonight from a young lady and she wanted to use it to look at the moon and planets! When I asked her favorite planet she said, "Earth"!
One older teenager asked for world Peace and another little one asked for a cat to replace her cat, Scratches, who had been lost for "lots of weeks!" But my favorite tonight was the little girl who said she needed to whisper in my ear and she told me that her Momma worked so hard she wanted a robot to do the cleaning for her so she could rest a bit! I told her I wanted her to go over and give her Mom a big hug! And she did! That's the latest from Santa's lap. Parade tomorrow, hope to see lots of you there!
November 30, 2017
- Tonight we had rehearsal for the grand tree lighting tomorrow. Spent hour and a half in a room with 60 middle and Elementary students while memorizing the lines I got this afternoon. That, my friends is an exercise in concentration! And when we got to my part at the end, I had it without having to refer to the script! My favorite part of the evening was sitting off to the side waiting to go on, and the young dancers about to go on decided they needed to hug Santa. I'm not sure if they were doing it for me or for them but it certainly gave Santa a boost!
November 29, 2017
- Let me give you a glimpse at a day in the life of Santa: I was subbing at FFHS with intentions of doing nothing more this evening than helping Jimmy decorate the tree. During lunch I got a phone call and it was a lady with a problem. She had arranged for a Santa for pictures at the Country Deli and he had just called her to say he had fallen and injured himself. She asked if I could help out because her daughter, a student at FFHS was working on the photos as a project. A...fter a couple seconds deliberation I agree to fill in from 5-7 knowing this was a pro Bono situation which was fine because she told me they would give me supper. So I rushed home, made supper for the boys, got dressed as Santa and was back at the Country Deli by 5pm
It was a fun time, the people there are the nicest folks I have met in a long time and the chow is great. We didn't have a large number of kids for pictures tonight but the ones that were there were a lot of fun. One little girl wanted a fairy tale book, so we talked about what fairy tales she liked and they were Snow White and Cinderella. One nice thing about not having a line is that you get to spend some time with each child! Then there was a little boy who wanted a Grinch Tractor(a new one on me) and we talked about how the Grinch stole Christmas and he got this grin on his face. So I think I know why he wanted the Grinch tractor!!
My favorite moment of the evening was this: one of the students who was there helping, halfway through the gig, looks at me and says, "now I know why you grow your beard that way" I said, "Yes, this is why" she then told me, that the students call me Santa Claus and I explained to her I had thought that might be the case!
All in all a fun evening, I helped someone out, I brought some joy to some children, I laughed, I had a great conversation with a lady who was waiting for her dinner, I had a fabulous sandwich, and when I got home Jimmy and I got part of the tree decorated! What else could I possibly ask for from one evening!
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