Christmas Memories: 2004

The Season started off big. Santa was looking for someone to sew him a red and white stripped shirt. He was looking for material with me. Isabella worked at Hancock Fabrics. She was a seamstress on the side. As Santa and Isabella were discussing Christmas, she mentioned Christmas Memories. This was a three day event in the city. They were looking for a backup Santa for the one they had. My husband was interested.
The following is from an email I wrote to our children about this event:

Good morning. Christmas Memories is over now. It lasted for three days. The first day I went, but not as Mrs. Claus. So many people asked me to do it that the second and third days I did. The second day I had my hair up and flowers in my hair, but they didn't show up very well from the front, for pictures, so the third day I wore my hat from last year that was red and green and matched my jumper dress. That showed up better. It was a lot of fun. I was so nervous doing it. I always am before we get started, but once I get into it I just concentrate on the children, and making adults feel noticed. Then I don't notice that I am being looked at by many, many people. I must have been doing it right because people would come up to me and whisper how perfect I was, he was, we were, etc. Some said they could not imagine anyone more perfect. Some even whispered, wanting to know if we were really married. They were delighted when they found out we had been together over forty years.

It was hard to get Santa away from the people long enough to eat. And I knew he had to because of his diabetes, so I would sit back in a back area because I knew if I did he would find his way back to me and I could feed him. Other people in the area, working with us, were very attentive to him, bringing him water. Water is important so his muscles won't cramp up.

You could see this back area from where people were getting ready for pictures. At one point I was giving Santa a kiss, feelling that we were out of the way. I looked up to see a group of women with red hats (the Red Hat Society) in line. The three women in front were all looking at us with big smiles on their faces. Ahhhhh! We had been caught! My husband was asking me the night before the last day if I thought Mrs. Santa should be in clothing like he wore? I told him, "Oh no! She has been taken right out of her kitchen to go with Santa and has her apron-like dress on. She is shy and would rather be at the North Pole, baking cookies and waiting for him to get back. This is how she would have dressed."

Of course, Santa used that when we met people. And they ate it up. They wanted to know how I knew Santa was being good? I told them I counted on the Reindeer to tell me. Santa said, "I'm going to have to talk to those Reindeer!" They loved it.

They seemed to accept that I was shy. Pretty soon I was getting attention like Santa. A baby wanted to come to me. One little girl ran up to say goodbye to me, leaving Santa out. But he didn't mind. We had the most fun when we strolled up and down the aisles between the booths. We were at the whole affair just for the fundraiser of the high school, but soon the people who started the event were supporting us going among the people.

After we visited with one group of children, and they were going away, we heard the mother tell her son, who was about ten, "You know, I have always believed." Another adult told us, "If I had been an unbeliever, you would have made me a believer."
Santa's picture was in our local newspaper after the first day. A man who looked like Santa came to visit Mick at the photo place. He called himself Santa's younger brother, Kranky Claus. He came back, later, for a picture with Santa.
Another man came, dressed like a butler and wanted a picture of himself serving something to drink to Mr. and Mrs. Claus. So we did that.
Two women with reindeer hats came and wanted a picture. They sat on Santa's lap and I stood behind, shaking my finger at them.

Santa was supposed to do this as an alternate for another Santa they had arranged for. He didn't come the first day. He showed up the morning of the second day and they told him he just wouldn't do, so he went home. They wanted "Santa".

As Santa was taking pictures with people, Mrs. Santa sat off to the side. I sat as much as I could so I was able to go with him when he walked the floor as I have a condition that makes it hard for me to walk for very long. People would stop and talk with me. There were lots of questions about what kind of man Santa was? did he really love children that much? I told them, with pride, what kind of man he was.

Some said, "Oh I want to take him home with me." The volunteers, who were working around Santa, dressing customers who wanted to dress up in Reinisance clothing, became very attentive to him and brought him water. We were all worried that he would start cramping. It is hard work being Santa.

One girl gave him something to rub on his feet when he got home, to help the pain. They asked me how he was doing, after the first and second day. By the third day he was really hurting. The second night he had a hard time sleeping, but it wasn't until we were all done last night that he had cramps. I had to help him get up and get into a shower. We were so thankful it hadn't happened while he was doing Santa. He was able to go to work today.

There was a dressing mirror by the costume closet. When Santa was finished taking a picture with someone, he took them to the "magic mirror". and had them take a "click-click". Watching that was magical and it made me think of all the "click-clicks" we've taken over the years. I didn't have our camera so I took a "click-click" in my own mind of him.

He was holding one little baby who stayed just fine as long as he didn't look at him. As he mentioned he was moving around to look at him, the baby started to cry. Most children went right to him. He seemed full of endless energy, reacting to them all as if they were the first. It truly was magical to see.
When people asked what kind of man he was I told them the story of when we were 17 and how we went to a school for the handicapped children. A room full of Downs Syndrome children had prepared pictures for us and attempted to show them to us as our school class filed through their room.

He was in the line ahead of me. Other boys pushed the children away. He got out of the line and knelt down by them to look at their pictures and interact with them. I continued to watch him until I couldn't see him anymore. I thought to myself that this was a man who loved children and he would make a wonderful father someday. It had a great impact on me. I began falling in love with him.
Those in charge of pictures had to develop better ways to find us when we were out on the floor. They sent people to get us, at first. Then they called us over the intercom. Then they gave us a walkie talkie. I referred to it with comments such as "new fangled things." It was fun. See, this is a good example of how I go kicking and screaming (so to speak) towards fun and once I get there I love it. What would I do without your father in my life? Look at how much I would miss out on.

All nights we stopped by the drive thrus of fast food places to take home some food when it was over. At all places we got the same reactions--plain dumb shocked looks on their faces. Not one person commented on it. We just laughed on the way home. What to expect? It was not even Thanksgiving yet.

Well, I know this has been long but I wanted to give you a flavor of our weekend. Santa has decided to use the Father Christmas suit for parties this year. It is more colorful. This is the first year we have advertised in the newpaper. We have been called because of the Christmas Memories event, the ad in the paper and word of mouth. Love you all, Mom

Mrs. Claus