November 14, 2017

      Ok I'm going to try to do a better job this year of keeping current on posts about my adventures sitting in Santa's Chair! I know I say that every year but it does get busy and this year I have 35 scheduled appearances!
      Anyway, this Santa made his first official appearance last Saturday at Belk and had about a hundred children come and see him, ...including two cute little furred babies that are in the following picture! This is always one of my favorite events and it was again this year. One really neat thing that happens at this appearance is there are some returnees. One extended family, I think the three Moms might be sisters, has been to see me at least 4 years now and it is so much fun to see the little ones grow up! The little girls are all dressed in their prettiest dresses and the little boys( though there was only one little boy this year) are in coats and ties. I asked about the missing ones and the oldest girl told me they had moved to Raleigh. I had to give the Moms a hug and thank them for bringing the kids back!
      As far as requests go: Santa was asked for baby dolls and Unicorns and dump trucks and red race cars with several saying they hadn't decided yet! I think my favorite was the little girl who had written a note that said: You don't have to bring me any books because Grammy is getting those for me.(I told her Santa likes children that read) I want a coat and a scarf and ear muffs. (At this point I asked if she was expecting cold weather) Then she showed me the back of the note where she had written, "Please don't make it a big coat" She told me that she prefers smaller coats! I managed to slip the note in Grammy's pocket when I hugged her. I like to get the notes back to parents so they have them as keepsakes!
      This year while I was at the Belk store here in North Carolina, one of my former students from Cerro Gordo, IL, was doing Santa with his wife as Mrs. Claus at a Belk store in FL.  It is indeed a small world!
      In addition to all the children, there were at least three different groups of ladies 5 to 8 in number that got their picture taken with Santa! And I didn't pinch any of them, tho I usually say to the person taking the picture, "Tell me just before you take the picture and I will pinch them!" And that's the latest from Santa's Lap!!!