From Up North: 2004

During our trip we went to see my husband's mother. She was happy to see us. It is hard for her to get out, so we went to the store to get her a few things. We were dressed in regular cloths, but as soon as we hit the door of the store we were getting looks and comments. We were friendly, but soon found out they had their own Santa up by the checkstand, and tried to stay out of the way. One enthusiastic mother, with three children, stopped us on an aisle and went on and on about us. She asked me where we were from? "Up North" I said, then realized what I had said.

"Up north. they're from up north!" she eagerly told her children. She was so very excited. We said our good-byes after a delightful visit. We were turning around after almost running into the Santa and ran into her again.
This time she had two more children. My husband visited with them and did his thing, including his way of saying "Good-bye". As they were leaving, one said, "I think that was his secret handshake." We gingerly made our way to the checkstand and out of the store, trying not to cause more commotion.

Mrs. Claus