Since I have no Santa gigs today I will continue posting those from last year that I didn't get published then. This one answers the question of how I got started doing Santa:
Thurs. Dec. 22, 2011
Spent a good portion of the morning at the hospital. Each year just before Christmas a friend of mine who is a nurse takes pictures of Santa with the babies who are in the infant ICU. This is the eighth year we have done it! Actually it's sort of how I started doing the Santa thing.
You see, about 8 years ago when my beard had turned mostly white, a friend at church asked if i would play Santa at the concert of her junior high band. Since she was furnishing the suit, I said "sure, I would be glad to help out." The concert went great, the band played great, Santa was a hit and afterwards, a nurse approached me and asked if I would come to the hospital so they could get pictures of the babies with Santa. I agreed and when she asked how much I charged, I told her that there was no way I could charge her to take pictures to give to parents of kids in the hospital at Christmas, they are already paying a big enough price. That was the first time and we have done it eight straight years now and have added a reunion of "graduates of the NICU" each year about two weeks before Christmas. The babies are so tiny it's almost scary to hold them. That's why the reunion is so much fun, seeing them bigger and healthy and not attached to about a dozen monitors.
(This is one of the things I miss the most this holiday season, not being able to see those little ones. I did go down to the hospital here but I guess they don't do that or need a Santa. Maybe they need an Yvonne who has the passion to get it started)
Thurs. Dec. 22, 2011
Spent a good portion of the morning at the hospital. Each year just before Christmas a friend of mine who is a nurse takes pictures of Santa with the babies who are in the infant ICU. This is the eighth year we have done it! Actually it's sort of how I started doing the Santa thing.
You see, about 8 years ago when my beard had turned mostly white, a friend at church asked if i would play Santa at the concert of her junior high band. Since she was furnishing the suit, I said "sure, I would be glad to help out." The concert went great, the band played great, Santa was a hit and afterwards, a nurse approached me and asked if I would come to the hospital so they could get pictures of the babies with Santa. I agreed and when she asked how much I charged, I told her that there was no way I could charge her to take pictures to give to parents of kids in the hospital at Christmas, they are already paying a big enough price. That was the first time and we have done it eight straight years now and have added a reunion of "graduates of the NICU" each year about two weeks before Christmas. The babies are so tiny it's almost scary to hold them. That's why the reunion is so much fun, seeing them bigger and healthy and not attached to about a dozen monitors.
(This is one of the things I miss the most this holiday season, not being able to see those little ones. I did go down to the hospital here but I guess they don't do that or need a Santa. Maybe they need an Yvonne who has the passion to get it started)
On to Santa's Chair, where dreams are brought to life:
A
little girl wanted a toy snake and a roller coaster. Her Mom said she has been fascinated by
snakes ever since her Sunday School studied Adam & Eve in the Garden of
Eden.
Young
boy wanted iPad, Call of the Wild movie, and lots of money. After some thought
he decided that he would settle for his
family having the best Christmas ever! Pretty nice wish, Santa thought!
A
little girl wants a piano but decided a keyboard would be better because there wasn't enough
room in her bedroom for a piano.
A
little girl wants a yoyo, pink, of course, and two
teenagers who just wanted clothes.
The
first of my students came to sit on my lap and her wish was for a docking
station for her iPod!
A
little one who wants a fake kitty and a
brother and sister combo for Santa's band.
She wants a guitar and he wants an electric guitar.
Several
requests for iPads again today. And my response is pretty much the same every
time "they are really scarce and I can't guarantee anything. I'll do the best I can" Santa should never promise something that they won't find under the tree Christmas morning.
One
of the last ones on my lap today was a little guy who wanted a sword. When I
asked what he would be using it for, he very matter of factly replied, "to
fight dinosaurs."
Them
he thought a moment and said"Maybe you better make that two swords, one
for each hand"
And
that's the latest from Santa's lap!
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