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!